091 SHC - the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition - Fiona Adshead, Keith Moore and Nathalie Preiswerk

Show Notes — Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC): From Care Pathways to Greener Clinical Trials Guests:

• Fiona — Chair, Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC)
• Keith Moore — Programme Coordinator, SHC
• Natalie — Community of Practice Moderator, SHC

Host: Frederik Dam van Deurs (Green Innovation Group & Care Pathway Consulting) Episode in a nutshell We sit down with the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC) to unpack what it really takes to decarbonize healthcare—both at the level of everyday care pathways and the specialized world of clinical trials. We cover SHC’s origin story with the NHS, why scope 3 (supply chain) matters, how SHC evolved into a not-for-profit platform connecting public and private actors, and the tools and frameworks helping systems act now. Natalie also previews the first in-person conference of the Sustainable Clinical Trials – Community of Practice in London on 4 November 2025—a highly interactive day shaping the community’s 2026 agenda. What we cover

• SHC origin & mission: From a UK roundtable (2011) to a global, not-for-profit platform bridging health systems and industry on sustainability.
• Why scope 3 is the big lever: Pharma and med-tech footprints, and how collaborative forums beat procurement-only dialogues.
• Three universal priorities for greener care:
  1. Shift care closer to the patient,
  2. Use digital tools to empower patients and providers,
  3. Double down on prevention.
• Prevention in practice: Partnering with people, designing prevention into systems (e.g., vaccination, slowing CKD progression), and supporting self-management (e.g., smart inhalers).
• Care pathways vs. clinical trials: Why trials deserve their own framework (CROs, labs, regulators, logistics) even if they mirror care pathways.
• Where trial emissions often sit: Participant travel, site/monitor travel, labs, and investigational product logistics—plus the promise (and limits) of decentralization.
• Start here: Assess your own trial portfolio and therapeutic areas—hotspots and best levers vary with the carbon intensity of the product/API and trial design.
• Hope, pragmatism & momentum: System optimization saves costs and resources and cuts CO₂e—progress doesn’t have to feel like sacrifice.

Key takeaways

• Systems thinking wins: Cross-sector collaboration is essential; no single stakeholder can decarbonize healthcare alone.
• Measure to move: Practical calculators and worked examples help teams find hotspots and act fast.
• Prevention is premium care: The most sustainable pathway is the one where patients don’t get sick—but it requires genuine partnership with people.

Memorable moments

• “The most sustainable patient journey is the one where the patient never gets sick.”
• “Clinical trials are like care pathways with extra moving parts—CROs, labs, ethics, regulators—so they need their own rulebook.”
• “Even if climate isn’t your prime driver, system optimization cuts waste and saves money—why wouldn’t you do it?”

Links & resources

• SHC COP Conference (London, 4 Nov 2025): shcoalition.org/cop-conference/
• Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (main site): shcoalition.org
• LinkedIn Group – Sustainable Clinical Trials: Community of Practice: linkedin.com/groups/13149469/