Victorian public healthcare Chief Executive Officers’ views on renewable energy supply
Hayden Burch
A B D and Forbes McGain C
A Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
B Present address: Northern Health, Epping, Vic. 3076, Australia.
C Western Health, Footscray, Vic. 3054, Australia. Email: forbes.mcgain@wh.org.au
D Corresponding author. Email: hayden.burch@nh.org.au
Australian Health Review - https://doi.org/10.1071/AH20248
Submitted: 11 September 2020 Accepted: 21 December 2020 Published online: 29 January 2021
Abstract
Objective Identify the views of healthcare leaders towards public healthcare’s carbon footprint; the importance or not of healthcare energy supply and sources and; the perceived key barriers for Victorian health care to show leadership on renewable energy sources and supply.
Methods Self-administered questionnaire (10 Likert scale, two open-ended questions) among 24 Victorian Health Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). Responses were anonymous. Descriptive analysis was conducted.
Results Overall, 13/24 (54%) of CEOs responded. A majority (11/13) agreed that climate change is causing real and accelerating harm to health and the environment, with impacts on patients, staff and services a current issue. One hundred percent (13/13) saw leadership by the public healthcare sector on environmental sustainability as an important responsibility (strongly agreed, 9/13 (69%); agreed, 4/13 (31%)), with most CEOs supporting their institution increasing the amount of renewable electricity supply over-and-above grid levels (strongly agreed, 3/13 (23%); agreed, 9/13 (69%)). However, support for renewable electricity was, for the most part, aspirational and not perceived as a current priority. The key perceived barriers to increasing renewable electricity supply were Health Purchasing Victoria contract and financial constraints.
Conclusions Health care itself has a carbon footprint. Public healthcare CEOs are supportive of their institutions increasing use of renewable electricity supply, yet perceived barriers regarding inflexible and poorly transparent purchasing contracts and financial cost exist.
What is known about the topic? Australian health care contributes ~7 percent to Australia’s total carbon emissions, with hospital energy consumption (coal-generated electricity and natural/fossil gas) a large majority. An executive level champion is a consistent factor across health services that are taking the lead on environmental sustainability.
What does this paper add? Our research is original in understanding the views of Victorian public healthcare CEOs on climate change, renewable energy supply and key barriers to increasing uptake. A majority of public healthcare CEOs see energy choices as an important issue for their patients, staff and institution, and that greater leadership should be shown by health care in light of the urgency required to address greenhouse gas emissions. However, support for renewable electricity was, for the most part, aspirational, with specific barriers identified across the healthcare network.
What are the implications for practitioners? This research provides information that can inform a pathway to healthcare decarbonisation via sector-wide action.
Keywords: Australia, climate change, environmental sustainability, funding and financing, health services management, healthcare decarbonisation, hospitals, population health, renewable energy.
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