NHS Western Isles launches new sustainability film for Climate Week 2025

NHS Western Isles recognises that the climate emergency is also a health emergency and has launched a new short film to mark Climate Week 2025. The film, first shown at the Outer Hebrides Climate Conference (OH-COP2) on 30th September, highlights the organisation’s ongoing journey towards delivering more sustainable healthcare across the islands. The video, available here: https://youtu.be/qy63sDBBaXk, includes input from staff who are working to cut emissions, protect biodiversity, reduce waste and build climate resilience in our health services.

The film showcases some of the progress made so far across the organisation, including:

• Reducing emissions from anaesthetic gases and inhalers through greener clinical practices.
• Promoting walking, cycling and e-bike use among staff through a variety of active travel initiatives.
• Creating biodiverse hospital gardens and green spaces to support both wellbeing and wildlife.
• Encouraging digital consultations and local care pathways, reducing the need for patient travel.
• Providing capital grants to community groups to support local projects, such as e-bike and trishaw schemes, climate action initiatives and community growing projects that strengthen resilience across the islands.

Providing capital grants to community groups to support local projects, such as e-bike and trishaw schemes, climate action initiatives and community growing projects that strengthen resilience across the islands.

Colum Durkan, Director of Public Health and Executive Lead on Sustainability, said, “NHS Western Isles is committed to the delivery of sustainable healthcare. As an organisation we are proud of the wide range of initiatives we have in place to reduce our impact on the environment. The film that has been launched for Climate Week 2025 highlights some of these initiatives, and features staff demonstrating the positive contribution they make to the sustainability agenda.”

The film comes ahead of NHS Western Isles’ next Climate Emergency and Sustainability Report for 2024/25, which will be published later this year and provides more detail on progress made and the steps being taken locally to reach NHS Scotland’s net-zero targets.

NHS Western Isles remains committed to reducing its environmental footprint, building sustainable care pathways, and supporting local communities to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

The full film can be seen here: