Emergency Departments (EDs) across England and Wales have collectively achieved an estimated 131,502 kilograms of CO2e in annual projected carbon savings through the latest accreditation cycle of RCEM’s GreenED programme.
This reduction is equivalent to driving a medium sized petrol car over 450,000 miles.
CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalent, is a standard unit for measuring the impact of different greenhouse gases – not just carbon dioxide – on global warming.
This result underscores the achievements of 11 EDs which have been awarded a GreenED accreditation today (20 February 2026) by implementing a range of environmentally sustainable practices within their departments.
Each have achieved various evidence-based actions that are divided into Bronze, Silver and Gold, which contribute to national net zero targets and create financial savings while maintaining or improving patient care.
The EDs that have achieved RCEM GreenED accreditations are:
Gold
University Hospital Coventry (Coventry, England)
Silver:
Derriford Hospital (Plymouth, England)
Heartlands Hospital (Birmingham, England)
Bronze:
Withybush General Hospital (Haverfordwest, Wales)
Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital (Bangor, Wales)
Barnsley Hospital (Barnsley, England)
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital (Basingstoke, England)
Luton and Dunstable Hospital (Luton, England)
University Hospital of North Durham (Durham, England)
St Thomas’ Hospital (London, England)
Queen Alexandra Hospital (Portsmouth, England)
Together, these Emergency Departments have also achieved an estimated £216,000 of cost savings.
GreenED was created by RCEM’s Environmental Special Interest Group (ESIG), a team of emergency medicine professionals committed to helping the specialty play its part in tackling the climate crisis.
Dr Sandy Robertson, Chair of ESIG, said: “A massive congratulations to the emergency departments across England and Wales that have been awarded with an accreditation.
“Behind every award is a team of dedicated emergency medicine clinicians who have implemented a range of environmentally sustainable practices. They have achieved these accreditations while continuing to deliver patient care, highlighting their extraordinary commitment, professionalism and drive to make a positive environmental difference.
“Climate change poses a big threat to the health of our patients, and the health of our planet. According to NHS England, in 2022, the NHS accounted for 4% of England’s total carbon footprint. We all have a responsibility to protect our planet for future generations – both in our personal lives at home, and at our places of work. EDs are no exception.”
Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM’s President said: “At the College, we are immensely proud of the teams who are achieving incredible things within their Emergency Departments, especially given the backdrop of the pressures they are under year-round. Congratulations!
“Our GreenED programme has now seen a number emergency care sites across the UK and Ireland accredited with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold award and it’s brilliant to see yet another department achieve the top accreditation. Well done Coventry.
“It’s also excellent to see my own department among the latest to be awarded with Silver. The team, led by a senior SAS doctor, has made a significant reduction in cost and carbon by switching from IV to oral paracetamol and by reducing unnecessary investigations. I am especially proud that sustainability work has spread from the emergency department to other parts of the hospital.
“We have big plans to expand our GreenED programme this year, to help and educate EDs on what they can do to become more environmentally sustainable. I can’t wait to share further success stories that have been driven by passionate clinicians.”
Dr Helen Wilkins, an Emergency Department Consultant at University Hospital Coventry, and GreenED site lead said: “We are delighted as a trust to receive the Gold GreenED award. It has been the culmination of three years of sustainability work across the whole of the Trust.
“Some of our most notable achievements in the emergency department have been reducing our Entonox use by 93%, reducing unnecessary coagulation screen testing by 50% and introducing reusable suture sets which save around 10,000 surgical instruments a year.
“As part of the Gold accreditation we looked at plant-based catering across the Trust and introduced social prescribing to the emergency department. We also looked at how to maximise staff and patient use of the many green spaces on site.
“I would like to thank the whole sustainability team at UHCW for their support in achieving this award.”
Since its launch in July 2023, RCEM’s GreenED accreditation programme has supported 67 UK-based Emergency Departments.
The initiative also awarded the first accreditations in Ireland last month, with four emergency care sites achieving Bronze. Participation of sites in Ireland follows collaboration with the Health Service Executive (HSE) Climate Action and Sustainability Office and the National Clinical Programme for Emergency Medicine (NCPEM) in Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), supported by SPARK Innovation Funding.
Meanwhile an international pilot is underway in Australia’s New South Wales with 10 EDs currently in the final stages of accreditation.