Sustainability in Healthcare

Environmental programs & reporting

Page content: Environmental management planning | Public environmental reporting

Victorian public health services are responsible for managing their environmental impacts and integrating environmental sustainability within their organisation. The department recognises the benefits that environmental management planning and reporting at the local level provides to health services, the broader health system and the community.

Accordingly, the department, through the Victorian 2012-13 Policy and Funding Guidelines, requires all Victorian public health services to develop a whole-of-organisation environmental management plan and to report publicly on their environmental performance.

Further information on these requirements is outlined below and also in the attached factsheet on environmental management planning in health services. Advice is also available from the department by contacting the Sustainability Unit.

Whereas the Policy and Funding Guidelines do not apply to departmental statutory agencies and other funded agencies, the principles and guidance on environmental management planning and public environmental reporting are applicable and the department encourages their adoption where possible.

Environmental management planning

An environmental management plan provides a framework that links policy, systems, reporting and responsibilities within an organisation's overall management structure and functional responsibilities.

The department has prepared an environmental management plan template to assist health services develop a plan that meets the requirements of the Policy and Funding Guidelines.

The template contains instructions on how to prepare an EMP and where appropriate example text.

Public environmental reporting

Public environmental reporting entails the communication of an organisation’s environmental performance to its stakeholders and the broader community, and being transparent about its environmental responsibilities.

The Department of Health has prepared guidance on public environmental reporting to assist health services meet the environmental reporting requirements of the 2012-13 Policy and Funding Guidelines.

Examples of public environmental reporting by Victorian public health services include:

• the Annual Sustainability Report produced by Austin Health
• the Annual Sustainability Report produced by Eastern Health.
  

Information on legislated environmental compliance requirements is available at http://www.health.vic.gov.au/sustainability/compliance.htm