The NHS is a unique and incredible machine for our nation. It’s been undervalued for many years – though never by the staff who work all hours of the day to keep it running. In the climate space, it sets itself apart and is a global leader as the world’s first health system to commit to net zero, with targets of net zero for direct emissions by 2040 and for its wider supply chain by 2045.
But that leadership comes with pressure and expectation. And while ambitions are high, they’re not always translating into a public-facing message that fulfils those expectations.
During the pandemic, the nation listened. The NHS became a household voice; trusted, clear, and emotionally resonant. But when it comes to climate, that resonance is fading. The language becomes technical. The message becomes abstract. Engagement drops. It’s time to communicate differently; within Trusts and beyond them. More human, more inclusive, more targeted. Without that shift, the goal of net zero risks staying just that – a goal.
Current Gaps in Communications
Right now, the NHS green comms landscape can be summed up like this: too much to say, not enough time, staff power, or budget to say it well. Messaging is often over-technical, packed with acronyms and jargon that disengage people. At other times, it lacks emotion or urgency and too often, the people responsible for delivering the message haven’t been supported to understand it themselves.
This isn’t a criticism of NHS comms teams – far from it. They’re under-resourced and pulled in every direction. What’s missing is strategic support: ways to streamline messaging, tools that deliver the right message to the right people, and a clear framework that connects environmental action to patient care and staff wellbeing.
Why Getting the Comms Right Matters
You can shout about your sustainability priorities all day but that doesn’t mean people are hearing you. Even fewer will understand you. And fewer still will act.
To overcome this, communication has to be intentional. That means speaking to the right people, at the right time, in the right way. That’s one of the reasons we built the Greener Health Service app. To enable targeted messaging across Trusts that’s clear, actionable, and aligned to real behaviours.
The Human Side of Net Zero in Healthcare
There’s a critical oversight in how we currently frame net zero healthcare. We focus heavily on capital investments – buildings, vehicles, energy infrastructure. And yes, these are vital. But we risk missing the small, human actions that, when multiplied across 1.4 million NHS staff, can unlock massive impact.
Consider this: air pollution contributes to over 36,000 deaths each year in the UK. It worsens asthma, increases cardiac risk, and strains emergency care. Rising temperatures, more frequent heatwaves, and increased flooding are all climate consequences that disproportionately impact the most vulnerable NHS patients and put pressure on already stretched services.
Climate action is healthcare. Healthier diets, active travel, cleaner air… these are interventions that reduce demand on the NHS and deliver better outcomes. The challenge isn’t whether people care about these things, it’s that they don’t always see how it connects to them.
What Can Be Done Differently?
We need to move from message-focused to people-focused communication. Because if the person receiving the message isn’t at the centre of it, they’re far less likely to engage or change.
For example, telling staff that their Pepsi can doesn’t belong in clinical waste won’t stick. But explaining that correctly recycling it saves the NHS millions in waste disposal — enough to fund X more nurses and reduce waiting times by Y — that creates a meaningful connection.
And timing matters. According to behaviour change frameworks like COM-B, people only act when they have the capability, opportunity, and motivation at the same moment. That’s why placing the right message directly on the bin lid and not in an email, works. It’s easy. It’s timely. It’s relevant. Behaviour change doesn’t happen by policy; it happens by design.
These campaigns also need trusted messengers. That’s why at Greenredeem, we work with NHS Trusts to co-create Greener Health Service campaigns in line with their Green Plans, ensuring senior buy-in, accurate content, and tailored delivery.
The Small Wins That Add Up
When staff see their actions rewarded or recognised (whether through measurable savings, feedback, or tangible incentives) engagement grows. And as engagement grows, change becomes embedded. These small wins, when scaled, ripple across departments and Trusts, leading to meaningful, system-wide change.
The NHS has the trust, reach, and moral authority to lead not just in decarbonising healthcare, but in driving climate awareness across the UK. But to do so, it must speak to people not as professionals or patients but as humans with values, emotions, and agency.
Because the future of a greener NHS isn’t just about net zero. It’s about getting everyone to care enough to make it happen. And that starts with what we say, how we say it and who we choose to say it to.
