InnoScot Health is throwing its backing behind Scotland’s Climate Week campaign, celebrating and encouraging climate action throughout the country

A Scottish Government initiative, Climate Week takes place from September 26th to October 2nd. The campaign aims to inspire organisations to encourage employees, families, communities, customers, and stakeholders to discuss climate action and to prompt the important steps everyone can take to help tackle the climate emergency.

The climate crisis is already significantly impacting countries around the world, including Scotland – but collectively more can be done to reduce our emissions to net zero and limit any further damage. While Scotland is aiming to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and become climate ready, NHS Scotland has brought its own net zero target forward to 2040.

Supporting that drive, InnoScot Health is seeking sustainable, forward-thinking ideas from health and social care professionals that can help support NHS Scotland to adapt, develop and strengthen in response to climate change – and it is the perfect time for staff to respond to its sustainability innovation call.

Encouraging NHS Scotland’s diverse workforce to come up with new ideas that achieve sustainable outcomes is vital and is at the heart of the innovation call.

The behaviours of NHS Scotland’s 160,000-strong workforce will influence how the service mitigates and adapts to climate change impacts; and so, encouraging this diverse workforce to come up with new ways of working is vital.

The package of support for health and social care staff with ideas to support NHS Scotland includes £25,000 of initial funding, regulatory support, project management and the innovation expertise of InnoScot Health.

Head of Innovation at InnoScot Health, Robert Rea said: “Climate Week celebrates and showcases climate action, inspiring support across Scotland’s communities and organisations. It will raise awareness of how people, businesses and organisations can adapt to a low carbon lifestyle.

“In 2020, the equivalent of 98.6% of gross electricity consumption in Scotland came from renewable sources. Climate Week is encouraging further progress on that great figure.

“It’s also an opportunity to showcase collective actions in response to the climate crisis and, for NHS Scotland to encourage further action to help achieve its net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2040.”

Executive Chair Graham Watson said: “With NHS Scotland committed to becoming a 'net-zero' greenhouse gas emissions organisation by 2040 at the latest, significant work is undoubtedly required.

“Climate Week is a great way of underlining the need to keep encouraging that vital ongoing NHS focus.

“The behaviours of NHS Scotland’s 160,000-strong workforce will influence how the service mitigates and adapts to climate change impacts; and so, encouraging this diverse workforce to come up with new ways of working is incredibly important and is at the heart of our innovation call.

“Innovation that achieves sustainable outcomes can, and should be, entirely complementary to the enduring everyday drive for healthcare excellence – and #ScotClimateWeek could be the inspiration for some very special ideas.”