University of Birmingham hosts major global conference on green surgery

The University of Birmingham is bringing together clinicians, policy makers and industry for a second major conference aimed at reducing the healthcare sector’s contribution to climate change.

Registrations are now open for the Research for Greener Surgery Conference 2024, which takes place on the University’s UK campus on Tuesday, 17 December. The event builds on the momentum generated by last year’s inaugural conference.

Attending the conference in-person or online is free for anyone from non-profit organisations, including healthcare staff and students, and tickets can be booked via this Eventbrite page.

The healthcare sector is major emitter of carbon – if the global sector were a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest polluter, with the NHS contributing six per cent of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Operating theatres make up as much as 25% of hospitals’ contribution, but 3 in every 4 people need surgery in their lives.

This year’s conference features a panel discussion on clean energy for healthcare featuring UK Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero Lord Hunt of King’s Heath; Energy Infrastructure Lead, West Midlands Combined Authority Kate Ashworth; and Chief Executive Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Hospital Trust Matt Boazman.

University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Adam Tickell, who will open the conference, commented: “We’re proud to welcome healthcare professionals from across the UK and beyond to the University of Birmingham as we explore the opportunities presented by sustainable surgery to contribute to the fight against climate change.

“The University of Birmingham is committed to improving the health of people across the world through new discoveries, treatments, and patient pathways - but we recognise the importance to our planet of environmentally friendly healthcare in a complex and dynamic sector.”

The event will connect participants with ideas, research and innovation in sustainable surgery – including sustainable surgical equipment, the environmental impact of anaesthesia, and sustainable plastics in healthcare.

It builds on ongoing research projects and training opportunities, not least University of Birmingham experts’ work with a surgical team at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust to complete the first documented ‘net zero’ operation in the NHS.

UHB Consultant Surgeon and Professor of Global Surgery at the University of Birmingham Mr. Aneel Bhangu said: “Surgery is critical to preventing life-limiting disease, but the operating theatres required are hospitals’ biggest source of carbon and waste. Making the NHS net carbon zero by 2040is impossible without making surgery greener, demanding changes in behaviour and care pathways across complex teams.

“We can only achieve our sustainability goals by working with colleagues across the UK to create a wider impact across the whole NHS. This conference provides another major step forward in greening surgery across the UK and making the NHS a global example of what can be done for environmentally sustainable healthcare.”