Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the net zero targets for NHS England are; and what guidance has been given to NHS bodies on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The 10-Year Health Plan commits to supporting NHS England’s existing commitments set out in 2020’s Delivering a Net Zero Health Service report, including achieving net zero by 2040 for the emissions the National Health Service controls and by 2045 for the emissions it can influence. The plan is clear that all NHS bodies will be expected to decarbonise, reduce environmental impact, and increase resilience to climate risks in line with the climate change duties set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.

We continue to work with NHS England to ensure that the NHS’s net zero aims are delivered in a way that improves patient care and saves taxpayers money, and which is aligned to the Government’s wider approach to carbon budgets and the 2050 legislative target for the United Kingdom’s economy.