University of Brighton leads national effort for greener intensive care

The University of Brighton is leading a pioneering initiative to make hospital intensive care units (ICUs) more environmentally friendly with the launch of groundbreaking sustainability guidance.

This new guidance – the first of its kind in the UK – offers practical solutions to help ICUs across the UK reduce their environmental impact. By focusing on energy efficiency, carbon emissions and waste reduction, the guide aims to support hospitals in achieving greener operations – without compromising patient care.

Launching on 27 February 2025, the Intensive Care Environmental Sustainability Recipe Book – developed by the University of Brighton in collaboration with the Intensive Care Society, Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, and the UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance – will be distributed to every ICU in the UK and available for free online, offering practical solutions to help hospitals across the UK reduce the carbon footprint of all elements of ICU work. The Sustanability Recipe Book is available to download here

This initiative comes at a critical time. The UK’s health service contributes around 4-5% of national carbon emissions, with the NHS in England alone accounting for 40% of the public sector’s emissions. ICUs, in particular, consume vast amounts of energy, generate high levels of waste, and rely heavily on single-use equipment and pharmaceuticals. 

While NHS organisations are legally required to reduce their carbon footprint, frontline healthcare staff have received little guidance on how to implement sustainable practices – until now. 

Led by Dr Heather Baid, Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton’s School of Education, Sport and Health, the Recipe Book will act as a comprehensive ‘how-to’ manual for sustainable ICU practices, providing clear, actionable steps to help hospitals meet the NHS’s legally mandated net-zero goals and contribute to a more sustainable future for healthcare.

Developed with input from intensive care staff and former patients and family members, the guide is designed for real-world use. It reflects significant contributions from a wide range of advisors working in critical care across the UK, ensuring that the guidance is both practical and rooted in the real-world needs of healthcare professionals.

Dr Heather Baid said: “The Intensive Care Environmental Sustainability Recipe Book was developed as a collaborative national project using feedback from clinical staff and service users.  There are recipes for different topics to provide the ingredients and methods for ICUs in the UK to reduce their carbon footprint. ICUs use large amounts of resources and create high volumes of waste causing environmental damage – the Recipe Book is a practical, ‘how-to-guide’ on maintaining quality care that is good for patients, but in a way that is also good for the planet.” 

Professor Hugh Montgomery, Co-Chair of the Intensive Care Society’s Environmental Sustainability Working Group said:  "We have all ignored the warnings. It is now almost too late for us and our children. To stand any chance, we have to do everything that we can in every sphere of our lives. Being 'more sustainable' isn't enough. This Recipe Book is part of the answer. Join us. Do all that is in it and a great deal more.”

Dr Jack-Parry Jones, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine said: 

"People, Planet and Profit. Each element of this triple bottom line is vital, with this recipe book providing some of the necessary tools for critical care multi-disciplinary teams to contribute to preserving a planet worth surviving critical illness for, to reduce waste, and improve efficiency. The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine has recently embedded elements of environmental sustainability into our Intensive Care Medical training curriculum so future generations of intensivists learn the importance of sustainable value-based health care. This recipe book will play a crucial role."

Nicki Credland, the Chair of the UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance (UKCCNA), said: “Environmental sustainability is increasingly relevant to ICU clinical practice, education, quality improvement, and research as healthcare systems face growing pressures to reduce their ecological impact. Embracing environmental sustainability not only benefits the planet but also contributes to a more ethical, efficient, and resilient healthcare system. This recipe book is a huge step in the right direction.”

The official launch of the Recipe Book takes place on 27 February, from 4:00 – 4:45 PM (online via Zoom). It’s open to all and will feature expert discussions and a live Q&A for ICU professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone interested in greener healthcare solutions. You can sign-up here. 

The University has long been dedicated to finding real-world solutions to environmental challenges, and this initiative is a key example of how academic expertise can drive meaningful change in critical sectors.

With only a handful of similar projects worldwide, this initiative reinforces the University of Brighton’s commitment to tackling climate change through research, innovation, and education.

This work was funded through SBRI Healthcare, an Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) programme, in partnership with the Health Innovation Network and Greener NHS. The views expressed in the publication(s) are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of SBRI Healthcare or its stakeholders.

Register for the event at:
Intensive Care Environmental Sustainability Recipe Book Launch | Sustainable Healthcare Networks Hub 

The Recipe Book is available to download here: https://ics.ac.uk/guidance/sustainability/ic-environmental-sustainability-recipe-book.html.