AGH Solutions has been honoured for its 'green' credentials.

The estates and facilities subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has received recognition in the Skills Development Network Awards.

Tribute was paid to the procurement team for its work to contribute to a greener NHS.

The team leads on sustainable procurement for all care organisations across West Yorkshire, and the group works to share good practice and lobbies suppliers to provide sustainable products and services.

A spokesperson said: "The NHS is responsible for five per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions and 3.5 per cent of all road travel, so buying sustainably has never been more important.

"The group meets regularly to share ideas and agree a green action plan and has inspirational guest speakers to promote sustainable services and ideas – such as NHS Ocean, motivated individuals from healthcare, environmental health and marine science who work to ensure ocean health is considered and where appropriate included within healthcare strategy.

"With 60 per cent of NHS carbon emissions coming from the supply chain, the NHS is looking at ways to reduce purchasing in the first instance. The group’s achievements include implementing sustainable systems such as Warp It, which creates a convenient marketplace allowing teams to find used and surplus equipment from other trusts free of charge.

"The group also works on behalf of all trusts and organisations to reduce duplication. Suppliers are asked to sign-up to a clean air commitment and requests are only submitted once by all care organisations in West Yorkshire."

The group is currently in the second year of a three-year action plan.

Its aims include working with more local suppliers, building ‘clean air’ key performance indicators into contracts, ensuring products brought into the health trust are sustainable, making sure equipment is reused where possible and maintaining a surplus store, keeping a contacts database, being up-to-date on environmental legislation within the supply chain, and continuing to partner with regional and national groups on sustainable projects.

Oliver Golledge, head of procurement at AGH Solutions, said: "We are delighted to have been recognised with this award.

"The team has been working on sustainable procurement projects for over ten years now and has had many success stories – it’s been great to share and learn from our West Yorkshire colleagues in the acute, community and mental health settings.

"We are very optimistic about what we will achieve in the coming years."