Ambulance service lead anti-idling campaign at hospital

An NHS Foundation Trust has signed a commitment with the Ambulance Service to ask ambulance crews to turn off their engines when they stop at a hospital in Northumberland.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and North East Ambulance Service will, at first, focus their anti-idling message at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, in a commitment which will also be extended to public car parks and drop-off bays, highlighting the environmental and health risks that come with leaving an engine running.

The same initiative will also be rolled out at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Although there will obviously be occasions when ambulance crews cannot turn off their engines – such as when cooling or warming vehicles or using critical equipment – the ambulance service believes this small step can have a large impact.

George Menon, emergency department sustainability fellow, said: ‘Emergency departments, by their nature, are resource heavy so we must target areas where it’s possible to make sustainable changes while maintaining our high level of patient care.

‘By working through the action points set out by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, we have been able to make significant positive change and work towards becoming an accredited Green Emergency Department. Implementing a no idling policy for vehicles outside the department is one of those actions.’

Head of sustainability, Clare Winter, said: ‘Through signing this commitment we are encouraging ambulance crews to turn off their engines when it’s not necessary to have them running. Everyone’s contribution to this will make a significant difference in reducing pollution levels.

‘Implementing this change also aligns with our net zero by 2040 as stated in the Net Zero Northumbria Action Plan.’

Martin Gibson, environmental sustainability manager at NEAS, said: ‘Our ambulance crews serve the whole of the North East, from the borders of Yorkshire to Scotland. Therefore, although this commitment specifically covers Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary, we are applying this same principle across the region to all our staff and volunteers.

‘There will be some occasions when it isn’t possible to turn off engines, such as when they need to cool or warm their vehicle or using critical equipment. But with more than 400 NEAS vehicles on the road at any given time, we think we can make a significant impact on the health of our local population, including our own colleagues, by switching them off when we are able to.’