FOI Ref: 0044FOI2021

4th August 2020

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Request for Information

We are pleased to respond to your request for information and our response is set out below:

Request/ Response

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, related to your organisation’s current approach to sustainability and sustainable development.

The information that I am seeking to collect is as follows:

1. Could you please confirm whether your organisation has a sustainability or sustainable development strategy.

1. If possible, please provide a copy.

We currently have a draft Sustainability Development Strategy and Action Plan

2. If you answered yes to the first question can you confirm:

1. Whether there is a strategy group or work/action plan in place to support this strategy? Yes there is a Sustainability Development Group
2. When the strategy was first developed within the organisation (year). 2019

3. Is there an identified Executive Sponsor for sustainability within the organisation? Yes

4. Are any members of staff dedicated to sustainability or sustainable development within the organisation? If so, how many hours per week are dedicated to this area of work, what is their job title and what Agenda for Change pay band are they? There no staff who are solely dedicated to this area of work, however the group has wide membership and is led by an Executive Director and attended by Governing Body GP Members who are also members of the Greener Practice initiative.

5. Does your organisation have any environmental champions? If so, how many? Not specifically identified within their role but there are a number of environmental champions leading on this work.

6. Do you offer any sustainability training for your staff? If so, what format is this delivered in (e.g. face to face, e-learning, etc)? No

7. Is your organisation ‘paperless’?

1. For NHS Trusts and CCGs providing clinical services (such as Continuing Health Care), if not, what year do you anticipate fulfilling the NHS target to fully digitise clinical records?

NHS Sheffield CCG CHC Team have been working with our SY&B ICS CHC partners, and in collaboration with our Local Authorities, to improve our digital systems and records. This would improve and support our move to paperless working; unfortunately this work has been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. However, current ways of working, as a consequence of the pandemic, has meant that we have reduced paperwork considerably in our communications and in our day to day tasks whereby discussions with individuals and families have been virtual or via the telephone and logged directly in patient records. We are looking to reinstate some of our projects, inclusive of our digital solutions work, and will therefore continue to strive towards paperless working. It is worth noting that we will be restricted in some cases where we are required to communicate to individuals and families who have limited access or opportunity for digital communications and whereby letters are still needed to communicate outcomes and consents. In addition we need to ensure our communications meet Accessible Information Standards so that we reach a wide target audience and meet the needs of those people who may access our services now and in the future.

8. Have you engaged with the NHS Sustainable Development Unit over the past five years? If so, could you provide the names of the project titles that you worked with them on. We have liaised with the SDU over the past five years, although this has been of an advice seeking nature, rather than specific projects.

9. Does your organisation assess its impact on the environment when making decisions through use of a sustainability framework or another similar tool? Not  currently