Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability
Travel
Firstly our Office staff all work from home with complete and secure access to all call management and care information for all clients. This negates all unnecessary travel to and from work, and means only client assessments and reviews require travel. As a live-in domiciliary care provider, our service model inherently reduces carbon emissions compared to traditional hourly homecare, meaning carers moving between home/office and several locations per day.
- Maintain longer placement durations where appropriate, reducing handover travel. Because Care staff live within placements for a minimum of one week at a time, and on average 3-6 weeks this significantly reduces the need for multiple daily journeys between service users’ homes, lowering vehicle mileage, fuel use, and associated emissions.
- Use remote management and supervision (phone/video calls) where appropriate to reduce supervisory travel.
- Encourage low-emission travel, including public transport where feasible.
- Make handovers timely to allow off-peak travel and avoid congestion
- Promote staff awareness of sustainability and encourage responsible travel behaviours.
Measurement of Emissions
We will monitor and record:
- Staff mileage linked to placement changeovers
- Mileage for management visits and audits
- Mode of travel where known
Reporting and Monitoring
We will provide quarterly reporting on:
- Total mileage associated with the contract
- Actions taken to reduce emissions and planned improvements
This information can be included within contract monitoring meetings to demonstrate transparency and progress.
Technology
We also employ modern cloud-based call management and 24/7 on-call systems, as well as fully digital care management systems. This reduces the need for :
- Office based oncall staff;
- Massive amounts of printing, storage, postage, transport, collection, and waste management and recycling.
We are committed to further reducing the carbon footprint associated with staff travel and contract delivery through continuous improvement initiatives.
Training
All training is conducted using Microsoft Teams or Zoom, unless physical moving and handling training is required. For in person required training we organise group sessions rather than single training to minimise travel.
Current and Planned Initiatives
Reduce Travel
Increase use of AI to Plan rotas efficiently, prioritising staff allocated based on geographical proximity to placements; Reviewing several clients within a geographic area at the same time;
Progressive Reduction Approach
We will implement an annual carbon reduction plan, including:
- Setting measurable targets to reduce travel-related emissions year on year
- Reviewing travel data quarterly to identify avoidable mileage
- Updating rota planning and operational processes to minimise unnecessary journeys
Commitment
We recognise the importance of supporting local authority sustainability objectives. Our live-in service model already delivers a reduced travel footprint, and we will continue to measure, report, and progressively reduce emissions linked to the delivery of this contract.