Enhanced air quality observed at a UK hospital following a decrease in the number of delivery vehicles

In a commendable move towards sustainability, NHS Supply Chain, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Wessex Procurement have joined forces to optimize hospital deliveries and reduce air pollution. This project supports the hospital trust's sustainability goals, which are in alignment with the NHS' Green Plan.

Heidi Barnard, the head of sustainability at NHS Supply Chain, has commented on the project's success and its contribution to the NHS's net zero goal by 2045. The project demonstrates the potential for collaboration between organizations to achieve sustainability targets and improve overall operations.

The project involves working with air quality monitoring specialists EMSOL to identify zero-cost ways to cut vehicle emissions. By eliminating mixed and half-full cages, NHS Supply Chain has eliminated 338 fewer cage movements, improving health and safety conditions with fewer cage movements, lowering the risk of slips, trips, and falls.

NHS Supply Chain's network optimisation team has reviewed ordering patterns at the hospital, identifying several ways to improve operations. The improvements include consolidating delivery days and spreading deliveries more evenly across the week. As a result, NHS Supply Chain deliveries are now more manageable for hospital staff, easing their workload on peak delivery days.

The project has led to a reduction in the number of vehicle deliveries per month from 59 to 41 by minimizing unnecessary balance loads. This reduction has contributed to improved air quality at the hospital site, with a significant decrease in NO2 and particulate emissions.

The optimized scheduling of deliveries is projected to result in an annual CO2 reduction of 972kg at the hospital site. Moreover, the hospital has repurposed storage space, reducing stock-holding pressures in materials management.

Notably, in the first three months of the project, NHS Supply Chain has recorded a significant reduction in requisition point delivery days from 547 to 97, representing an 82% reduction. This project's achievements and innovations in clean air initiatives are significant for the UK's transportation sector.

The project's benefits to air quality are recognized and will be celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. For more information about the CiTTi Awards, visit www.cittiawards.co.uk.

It is worth mentioning that the project's success has not resulted in any detriment to stock availability at the point of use. This project is an example of how simple changes to ordering and delivery patterns can bring substantial benefits, demonstrating the potential for similar collaborations in the future.

Enhanced air quality observed at a UK hospital following a decrease in the number of delivery vehicles