Sustainable system-wide commissioning: How a whole system approach leads to more sustainable healthcare
Categories: Health National Adaptation Plans, Net zero health systems, Action plans for sustainable low carbon health systems, Guidance document, Country experience, Tools, Europe, Climate Resilient Health Systems, Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems, Supply Chains, Nutrition
Publisher: NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
This guidance aims to support health care organisations in developing more sustainable, patient‑centred, and future‑ready models of care, improving outcomes while reducing environmental and financial pressures.
It outlines principles, tools, and case examples to help design, procure and deliver services for greater quality, efficiency, and sustainability. It highlights three core principles: considering the whole system, using all available resources, and taking a long‑term view, and introduces the Seven Capitals Matrix as a framework for holistic resource planning. The guide outlines how integrated pathways, improved collaboration, and attention to environmental impacts can transform care, illustrated through models and real case studies. It also provides practical advice for translating theory into action, including decision-making team roles.
This guidance is based on the former commissioning process of National Health Services in the United Kingdom.
Intended users
Ministries of health; Health care facility managers.