Good Corporate Citizenship within NHS Westminster
The Good Corporate Citizenship model (developed by the Sustainable Development Commission for the NHS) describes how NHS organisations can embrace sustainable development and tackle health inequalities through their day-to-day activities. This means using NHS organisations’ corporate powers and resources in ways that benefit rather than damage the social, economic and environmental conditions in which we live. How the NHS behaves - as an employer, a purchaser of goods and services, a manager of transport, energy, waste and water, as a landholder and commissioner of building work and as an influential neighbour in many communities - can make a big difference to people’s health and to the wellbeing of society, the economy and the environment.

The project
NHS Westminster sought an audit of corporate citizenship within the Trust and the development and implementation of an action plan that will help them to achieve excellence in the NHS Good Corporate Citizenship model.

The delivery of this service will include:
1. A baseline audit of the Trust using the NHS Corporate Citizen model.
2. Establish a cross-Directorate Corporate Citizenship Committee to help reduce health inequalities and make a positive social, economic and environmental contribution to the communities in Westminster.
3. Implement recommendations from the action plan and monitor progress of the organisation.
4. Utilise the project to help provide assurance against Healthcare Commission performance standards.
Experience

The experience of the team not just in environmental issues but in working with and for the NHS and the priority given to addressing health inequalities were major factors in winning this instruction. Tessa Lindfield, Consultant in Public Health, who is managing the project was impressed by the Campaign for Greener Healthcare’s credentials, and said

“we were particularly impressed by your grasp of the interactions between public health and sustainability.”

Our relevant experience includes:
- Policy appraisal;
- Health and sustainable development;
- Environmental impacts of providing NHS services;
- Conduct of various types of impact assessment and appraisal (including health impact assessment, life-cycle assessment, environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal); and
- Participation and consultation techniques with different stakeholder groups.

Conclusion
We are very excited to be working with NHS Westminster, its staff, partners and the local community to explore the ways in which the Trust can contribute to sustainable development on a local, regional and national level.