Clare Scully, Director for Healthcare Insight, Bupa Group Clinical
SHC Member since May 2022
Bupa has the ambition to become a net zero company by 2040 across its global healthcare operations and value chain. This commitment is underpinned by 1.5 degree aligned science-based targets. However, we know that we cannot secure a sustainable future alone – climate change is
complex and multi-faceted, which means we need to work together to drive real change.
The Coalition provides us with a platform to collaborate with organisations across the healthcare sector to accelerate the transition towards a net zero future. This enables us to not only accelerate our transition towards being a sustainable business but that of the wider healthcare sector through
sharing our learnings. By collaborating with others, we can innovate more quickly, working towards shaping a sustainable healthcare system that will enable us to continue to provide quality care for patients now and into the future.
It’s so important that we work together across the healthcare community to accelerate action but also to amplify our voices and highlight that the climate crisis is a health crisis. Being part of the Coalition has also helped us to keep up to date with the great activity happening in
the wider climate community and has given us a forum to learn from others.
Changes implemented since joining the Coalition
I am a huge believer in the power of collaboration. Last year, through our various partners and coalitions, we joined the climate and health conversation with the global healthcare and business community at both Climate Week NYC and the UNCCC Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt. It was inspiring to see representatives from across the healthcare sector coming together to showcase the role that we can play in climate action. By coming together, we’re better able to mobilise and equip each other to accelerate the urgently needed transformation of our health and climate systems, towards outcomes that deliver benefits for both people and the planet.
Following an introduction by the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, Bupa has also supported the Ride for their Lives campaign for the past two years, organising a collaborative bike ride from London to Brighton with partners in our value chain across the private healthcare sector. This global initiative is inspiring the healthcare community to advocate for climate action and raise awareness of the link between human and planet health.
Recent sustainability achievement
Our participation in the Coalition has informed the way that we approach the implementation of sustainable healthcare initiatives across Bupa. Last year, we used the insights gained from the
Coalition to identify six initiatives – known internally as the Super Six – to help provide direction and consistency across our businesses around sustainable healthcare.
These practical initiatives span both clinical practice changes (such as reducing emissions associated with anaesthetic gases) and models of care (such as the use of digital tools in healthcare pathways). It is our expectation that the Super Six will inspire, drive transformation and engagement and raise
the profile of sustainable healthcare across Bupa, at the same time as demonstrating the progress towards – and authenticity of – our sustainability ambitions.
Please read more on our website. Our sustainability section is here: