The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s Green Nursing Challenge Showcase 2025

Summary

The Green Nursing Challenge Showcase was held on 20 October 2025 celebrating the outstanding work of six teams from hospital and social care settings—an award-winning leadership and engagement programme dedicated to transforming healthcare.

The six clinical teams presented their Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI) projects to a judging panel, focusing on key priorities identified through carbon footprint measurements, partner collaboration and input from people with lived experience. Themes included valuing people’s time, supporting informed choices, improving access and experience for underserved groups, and addressing complex care, pelvic health and continence—all aimed at reducing environmental harm and tackling health inequalities in nursing care.

Content

Winning team

Winner: Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recognised for their close collaboration between professionals across both maternity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) services, working together to deliver more efficient, person-centred and environmentally sustainable care.

Highly commended: Oxfordshire Health NHS Foundation Trust for their joint District Nurse & Diabetic Nurse Specialist reviews, optimising care for patients in the community, reducing harms and the need for hospital admissions.

Showcase outcomes and learning 

The Green Nursing Showcase celebrated the inspiring work of the six project teams who took part in the Green Nursing Challenge 2025. Together, these teams are helping to shape more sustainable and equitable nursing care.

During the event, each clinical team presented their Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI) projects, focussing on priority areas identified through collaboration with challenge partners, carbon footprinting analysis, and discussions with patient and staff groups.

The event’s keynote speaker was Charlotte McCardle, Global nurse consultant and former CNO for Northern Ireland and DCNO at NHS England, who spoke of nurses and midwives being the “…holders of hope, the voice of the vulnerable, and the champions of change. I believe you are very well placed to lead. Don’t undersell in any way your work… You can use what you’ve created in your projects to break down barriers for others.”

The Challenge demonstrates how nurses and midwives can play a crucial role in achieving the NHS’ Net-Zero targets. By making changes in working practices, nurses can lead action to minimise the environmental harm created from healthcare services, and can help address health inequalities, improve outcomes and experiences, and contribute to a more sustainable healthcare system.

 To hear more about the individual projects follow the link: Green Nursing Showcase 2025 — Sustainable Healthcare