Carbon Reduction Plan

Policy Lead	Dr Nadia Ahmad
Registered Manager	Dr Nadia Ahmad
Nominated Individual	Dr Nadia Ahmad
Version Number	1.0
Date of issue	March 2026

 

Introduction

The Weight Care Clinic Ltd recognises its responsibility to minimise environmental impact and contribute to the UK’s legally binding target to achieve netzero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This policy sets out our strategic approach to carbon reduction, environmental sustainability, and compliance with relevant legislation, regulatory expectations, and public sector procurement requirements. It supports the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Single Assessment Framework, specifically the Wellled: Environmental Sustainability quality statement, which emphasises providers’ responsibility to understand and reduce the environmental impact of healthcare delivery.

Our remote, digital first care model significantly reduces carbon emissions by eliminating travel, reducing reliance on physical premises, and operating paper free systems. This policy provides the framework for how we measure, manage, and continually reduce our environmental footprint in line with recognised standards and UK government guidance, including PPN 06/21/PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan expectations.

Scope

This policy applies to:

• All employees, contractors, and clinicians working for The Weight Care Clinic Ltd
• All operational activities undertaken in the UK
• All digital systems, equipment, and suppliers used in service provision
• All emissions sources within our defined organisational and operational boundary (Scope 1, 2 and relevant Scope 3 categories required by PPN 006)

The policy covers the development, publication, maintenance, and governance of our Carbon Reduction Plan, alongside ongoing sustainability commitments and operational practices.

Roles and Responsibilities

Medical Director / Carbon Reduction Lead

• Holds overall accountability for carbon reduction strategy
• Approves the annual Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) as required under PPN 006 (director signoff requirement)
• Ensures compliance with CQC expectations around environmental sustainability and good governance (Regulation 17)
• Oversees monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvements

Senior Management Team

• Ensures environmental considerations are embedded into operational decision making and supplier selection
• Supports data collection required for annual emissions calculations and reporting

All Staff and Contractors

• Follow procedures that support sustainability (paperless working, minimal travel, efficient homeworking practices)
• Participate in sustainability training and provide data where required (e.g., home working surveys for emissions calculations)

Administrators and Operational Staff

• Maintain accurate digital records that support emissions tracking
• Ensure suppliers provide environmental information where proportionate

Our Commitment

The Weight Care Clinic Ltd is dedicated to reducing its environmental impact and contributing to the UK’s transition toward a netzero economy. As a doctor led, CQC registered, fully remote medical clinic, our operating model naturally reduces carbon emissions by removing the need for patient or clinician travel, eliminating physical premises, and operating paper free systems.

We are committed to continuously improving our lowcarbon approach as the organisation grows, ensuring sustainability remains central to our clinical and operational decision making.

About Us

• Legal name: The Weight Care Clinic Ltd
• Trading name: The Weight Care Clinic by Dr Nadia
• Business type: Doctor-led, CQC-registered remote medical clinic
• Organisation size: Small SME (fewer than 50 employees)
• Service model: Fully remote, UK-wide digital healthcare
• Registered in England & Wales: Company No. 16113360
• CQC Registration: 1-25046369175

Carbon Reduction Lead:

Dr Nadia Ahmad – Founder & Medical Director

Baseline Emissions

Baseline year: 2025

Due to our fully remote operating model, our baseline carbon emissions are inherently low. Emissions have been estimated using proportionate, SME-appropriate assumptions.

Emission sources considered:

• Scope 1: None (no owned vehicles or on-site fuel use)
• Scope 2: Electricity associated with home-office working
• Scope 3:
  • Cloud-based IT systems
  • Secure video consultations
  • Minimal office equipment
  • No business travel

Business travel:

• No routine travel
• No commuting requirements
• No in-person clinics or conferences

What We’re Already Doing

• Operating a fully remote consultation model, eliminating patient and clinician travel
• Using paperless clinical and administrative systems
• Issuing digital prescriptions and secure online communications
• Running with no physical clinic premises
• Maintaining a no travel operating policy
• Minimising equipment procurement
• Using digital first marketing instead of printed materials

This digital first approach significantly reduces emissions compared with traditional clinic based services.

Our Ongoing Commitments

Over the next 3–5 years, we will:

• Continue operating a remote first healthcare model
• Encourage use of renewable energy tariffs for staff home office working, where feasible
• Conduct annual reviews of IT and digital suppliers, favouring lowercarbon partners
• Maintain a paperfree workflow across all operations
• Avoid unnecessary travel as the organisation expands
• Consider environmental sustainability when selecting suppliers, where proportionate for an SME

Targets & Review

Given our already low baseline emissions, we commit to:

• Maintaining low operational emissions year-on-year
• Avoiding carbon-intensive expansion models
• Reviewing this Carbon Reduction Plan annually

Formal net-zero targets will be reviewed as the organisation grows, ensuring commitments remain realistic and proportionate.

Training and Awareness

The Weight Care Clinic Ltd ensures all staff understand their role in supporting environmental sustainability. Training includes:

• Induction module covering sustainability, carbon awareness, and our remote first low carbon model
• Annual refresher training aligned with CQC’s environmental sustainability quality statement requirements for staff awareness and understanding
• Targeted operational training for staff supporting emissions data collection, supplier assessment, and CRP maintenance

Monitoring, Review, and Reporting

• The Carbon Reduction Plan is reviewed annually in line with PPN 006 technical standards for ongoing compliance and publication requirements
• Emissions data (Scope 1, 2, and subset Scope 3) are analysed annually using UK Government GHG Conversion Factors (DESNZ) and GHG Protocol standards
• Sustainability actions, risks, and improvements are reviewed quarterly as part of governance processes
• Changes in legislation, CQC requirements, or procurement rules trigger policy updates
• Progress against any carbon reduction objectives or KPIs is monitored and documented as part of our governance framework

Related Policies and Documents

This policy should be read alongside:

• Good Governance Policy
• Quality Assurance Policy
• Remote Consultation Policy
• Information Governance Policy

Relevant Legislation, Standards and Guidance

This policy aligns with the following statutory and regulatory frameworks:

• PPN 06/21 / PPN 006 (2025 update): Requirements for Carbon Reduction Plans in public sector procurement, including Net Zero commitment, director signoff, annual publication, and reporting standards for emissions and environmental measures
• GHG Protocol Corporate Standard: International standard for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions reporting
• UK Government GHG Conversion Factors (DESNZ 2025): Required methodology for calculating emissions in the UK
• CQC Single Assessment Framework – Wellled: Environmental Sustainability: Expectation that providers understand and reduce environmental impact and promote lowcarbon care
• Regulation 17 – Good Governance: Requirement for providers to maintain effective systems and processes, which now includes environmental considerations
• NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap: Requirement (from April 2024) for suppliers to publish Carbon Reduction Plans for all new NHS procurements and align with Scope 1, 2, and subset 3 reporting frameworks

Governance

Responsibility for this Carbon Reduction Plan sits with:

Dr Nadia Ahmad

Founder & Medical Director

The Weight Care Clinic Ltd

Last reviewed: January 2026

Declaration

This Carbon Reduction Plan has been prepared in line with PPN 06/21 principles and is proportionate to the size and nature of our organisation.