Annex 1- Progress against UN sustainable development goals

We have mapped the actions and deliverables from 2020/21 to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

(3.8, 3.b)

Case studies:

• provision of health and well-being services for all employees to take advantage of, including Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders’ Network
• continued provision of digital health services for the health and social care sector and accelerated provision of new services to support the pandemic efforts

(4.a.1.c)

Case studies:

NHS Digital donated a total of 151 Surface Pro 4’s to charities and schools to help them with home learning during the pandemic. 

(7.1.2, 7.2, 7.a)

Case studies:

• production of electricity from solar panels at our office in Exeter
• continued procurement of cloud providers only using renewable energy to power our data centres
• use of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in our Leeds Hub building for all staff, free of charge 

(9.b.1, 9.c, 9.c.1)

Case studies:

• use of NHS App accelerated due to the pandemic
• improved access to technology for NHS patients
• increased integration of technology with front-line services, including GPs and clinicians

(10.2, 10.3)

Case studies:

• sustainability communications campaign focussing on culture change and staff engagement
• collaboration with the equality, diversity, and Inclusion networks to work towards climate justice by hosting an internal ‘Period Parity’ workshop focussed on reducing inequalities of people who have periods and increasing employee awareness around sustainable menstrual products
• work with the Mental Health First Aiders’ network to increase understanding of the concept of ‘climate distress/eco-anxiety’ and delivery of an organisation-wide event introducing the concept and ways to reduce stress

(11.3.2, 11.6, 11.b)

Case study: 

Consolidation of Leeds office estate in readiness of our move to the Leeds Government Hub in April 2021, offering a far superior premises in terms of its energy efficiency and community-focussed offering for tenants. 

(12.1.1, 12.2.1, 12.2.2, 12.5.1, 12.6.1, 12.7.1, 12.8.1.ii)

Case studies:

• consolidation of offices and efforts to improve utilisation into more efficient buildings
• continued efforts to embed sustainability into construction and dilapidation projects
• enhancing sustainability criteria in commercial and procurement via the Social Value Act
• provision of information and awareness for sustainability and resilience, providing through regular training workshops

(13.1.2, 13.1.3, 13.2.1, 13.3.1, 13.3.2)

Case studies:

• undertaking a Climate Change Risk Assessment to ensure that our current estate and technical infrastructure is resilient and adaptable to climatic changes 
• continued provision of monthly sustainability training sessions for all employees
• continues engagement and awareness raising activities by the Green Digits network
• continued embedding of climate adaptation across internal policies and procedures and raising staff awareness

(14.1.1)

Case studies: 

• reducing use of single-use plastics across our Estate as part of the commitment on single use plastic reduction
• deploying the use of non-plastic, biodegradable anti-bacterial office wipes and environmentally friendly cleaning products throughout our Estate to prevent eutrophication and gloating plastic debris density