Treating the Planet | Dr Jonny Groome

In this episode, Dr Jonny Groome, Consultant in Paediatric Anaesthesia at Barts Health NHS Trust and Associate Medical Lead for Sustainability at Nuffield Health, explains why the health sector must urgently confront its own environmental footprint, and why many of the biggest changes may be simpler than we think.

Operating theatres, for example, are among the most energy-intensive spaces in hospitals. Many run complex ventilation systems 24 hours a day, even when not in use. Groome argues that some of these practices persist less because of evidence and more because of habit and risk aversion.

Switching off ventilation when theatres are empty could save tens of thousands of pounds per theatre each year, alongside substantial emissions reductions. But the conversation doesn’t stop there.

From high-impact anaesthetic gases to the explosion of single-use equipment, the interview explores how modern medicine has become entangled with energy-intensive systems and market incentives, and why clinicians may be uniquely positioned to push for change.