Outcome statementImproving air quality and health by reducing emissions from staff, patient and visitor travel. This includes shifting towards active modes of transport, electrifying our fleet (including ambulances), and exploring innovative ways to deliver care remotely.
Improving air quality and health by reducing emissions from staff, patient and visitor travel. This includes shifting towards active modes of transport, electrifying our fleet (including ambulances), and exploring innovative ways to deliver care remotely.
The Net Zero Government Operations Policy sets a range of actions for 黑料吃瓜网 Health targeting government passenger fleets. It outlines requirements for all new government passenger vehicles to be electric vehicles by 30 June 2030, within an interim target of 50% EVs by 30 June 2026. Emergency vehicles are currently exempt from the target.
Health research shows that exposure to traffic pollution is associated not just with heart and lung disease, but also with increased risk of strokes, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, some cancers and, in pregnant women, increased risk of low birth weight and premature babies20. Vulnerable people, including the elderly, children and those with chronic health conditions are at highest risk.
Fleet, staff, patient and visitor travel are significant contributors to our carbon footprint. Continued action to accelerate fleet electrification and sustainable travel strategies will reduce our emissions, improving air quality and associated public health benefits.11
The 黑料吃瓜网 Government鈥檚Electric Vehicle Strategy accelerates the uptake of EVs and commits to electrifying 黑料吃瓜网 Government passenger vehicle fleet.21 The strategy sets a target of electrifying all Government passenger feet. The transition to low-emission or zero-emission vehicles requires comprehensive charging infrastructure across our health care facilities.
黑料吃瓜网 Health is supporting the 黑料吃瓜网 Government targets by retrofitting existing facilities, installing EV charging infrastructure at new facilities, and fitting EVs with technology that allows staff to schedule or book its use.10 黑料吃瓜网 Health will need to partner with facility owners to build EV charging infrastructure at leased facilities. 黑料吃瓜网 Health will reduce our impact through ongoing improvements in efficiency through logistics, digitisation, and IT. For larger vehicles such as vans, trucks and ambulances, 黑料吃瓜网 Health will explore a range of technologies (e.g. hybrid vs electric vs hydrogen cell).
The health benefits of walking and cycling are clear: improved cognitive function, mental health, sleep quality, weight status, muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness as well as bone health. Physically active people have lower rates of anxiety and depression, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hip fractures, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, metabolic syndrome and the risk of dementia. People who walk or cycle also have lower carbon footprints from all daily travel. At the population level, replacing motorised travel with walking or cycling, reduces vehicle exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions. Encouraging 黑料吃瓜网 Health staff, patients and visitors to shift towards active and public transport options, wherever feasible, will help improve health outcomes and decarbonise our health system.
The 黑料吃瓜网 Ministry of Health, in partnership with Local Health Districts, leads the development, statewide implementation and evaluation of prevention-focused programs and services that improve health and help reduce the burden of chronic disease.22 The COVID-19 response has accelerated changes to the way we deliver care, including delivering care closer to home, and changing modes of delivery of medicines and medical supplies.
The consultation process confirmed what is working well in the system and identified priorities and areas that require improvement.
NSLHD is committed to reducing transport emissions and achieving the District's net zero targets. As part of this commitment, six electric vehicle (EV) charging stations were commissioned at Macquarie Hospital in 2024, and ten EVs have been put into operation with community nursing and Mental Health services at Macquarie. The EV rollout will continue across the District as part of NSLHD鈥檚 ongoing sustainability efforts.
SWSLHD鈥檚 Travel for the Future Strategy aims to create a more sustainable transport network by exploring the use of Uber for Health, consolidating pool vehicles at shared sites, utilising telematics data to identify opportunities for fleet reductions and installing electric vehicle chargers to support the existing and future electric vehicle pool.
SWSLHD has installed 17 EV chargers at Liverpool Hospital and commenced work on introducing a further 18 chargers at Campbelltown Hospital. These charging sites will create an EV travel corridor between Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospitals whilst providing opportunities to grow the Districts Electric Vehicle fleet pool.
The state-of-the-art, eight-storey car park for the Children鈥檚 Hospital at Westmead provides over 1,000 new parking spaces to meet the hospital鈥檚 current and future parking needs.
The new car park鈥檚 sustainable design includes 75 electric vehicle charging stations, with future proofing for 200 in total. Solar panels have been installed on both the roof and the fa莽ade; generating over 700kW of renewable energy.
The redevelopment also incorporates new landscaped areas, pedestrian pathways and playground improvements which support active travel initiatives.
Active transport plays a major role in addressing chronic disease, traffic safety and congestion, air pollution, and climate change.
In 2024, the 黑料吃瓜网 Ministry of Health, in partnership with Griffith University, the University of 黑料吃瓜网 and The George Institute, released a new Active Transport Health Model. The model provides an evidence-based method for assessing the health impacts of active transport.23
The model鈥檚 standardised economic and social reference outcome values can be used by practitioners to calculate the costs and benefits of active transport initiatives.
Hunter New England LHD鈥檚 Population Health team based at Wallsend Health Campus are gearing up for greener transport. They鈥檙e swapping fleet cars for electric bicycles to attend meetings and appointments at frequently visited sites including John Hunter Hospital, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Calvary Mater Hospital and University of Newcastle.
The eBikes as Fleet Vehicle pilot project launched in 2024 aiming to reduce carbon emissions associated with staff travel and promote physical and mental health outcomes for staff. In addition, riding electric bicycles is expected to be time and cost effective compared to driving a car.
On their journey to Net Zero, 黑料吃瓜网 Ambulance are upgrading their emergency vehicles to run on solar-powered energy.
黑料吃瓜网 Ambulance Fleet and Equipment team designed a system to replace the lead-acid battery with a more environmentally friendly lithium battery to power several electrical components of the vehicles.
鈥淭his has involved solar panels being installed on the roof of the vehicles which charge the lithium batteries,鈥� said Ols Duerr-Reuther, Associate Director Fleet and Equipment. The use of solar panels and lithium batteries is already reducing waste and keeping 黑料吃瓜网 Ambulance鈥檚 vehicles on the road longer and more often. So far, approximately 400 solar panels and 550 lithium batteries have been installed in ambulances and they are on the way to achieving a reduction of 2,000 battery changes per year.
