Welcome to Kirsty Meets!

Each month I meet key stakeholders and business leaders in the social care sector. This month I met Hannah Montgomery, Co-Founder at Grace Cares. I caught up with Hannah to discuss sustainability, wellbeing, and supporting older people in local communities.

So Hannah, can you tell us a little bit about Grace Cares?

Grace Cares is a not-for-profit that wants to stop care items needlessly going into landfill, make them available to people at around a third of the price, and use the profits to help care workers, older people and their families nationwide with hardship grants and also support the local community with social groups and activities.

Why is sustainability important within social care specifically?

In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass the net zero emissions law. Which means the government has set a UK commitment to sustainability that has to be met by 2050.

Compulsory change is coming to evolve practices, processes, and culture this is why I am on a mission to educate myself as much as possible on the subject.

It is evident that the social care sector is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and other forms of environmental impact. Our sector uses large amounts of energy, equipment, and resources to provide care, which can lead to waste and pollution. Think about it, social care activities protect and restore health and save lives BUT what about the impact to health and lives from the waste and by-products we generate?

What is the state of sustainability within the social care sector at the moment?

People I have been talking to are often not fully aware of the changes that are around the corner or are overwhelmed by sustainability in the sector. With rising costs and environmental changes, we personally and commercially need to be more waste and carbon aware. It’s a company culture change on all levels, which is a scary thought. The sector is still trying to carry on after the impact of covid, recruitment is challenging, and we are waiting for the roll out of a new regulatory framework. So how the heck are care providers meant to learn and adapt processes to be more sustainable at the same time?!

I get it! IT IS A LOT. You don’t want to go gung-ho on changes (especially with a small team) and take your eye off the ball in other areas, it’s all about compound effect. It’s about juggling improving and commercial viability.

What does the future of social care sustainability look like?

The government are really going to be driving this as they have forecast that damage by climate change will cost the UK economy £20 billion by 2050.

One thing care provider’s need to be thinking about is if they have an evolving net zero plan.

My advice to any care provider reading this would be to initially pull together a working group of managers, carers and service users who all have a passion for sustainability. Get an initial sustainability and net zero plan, it doesn’t have to be war and peace. As a starting point I would recommend exploring:

• Environmental Compliance
• Waste Reduction and Recycling
• Energy Conservation
• Water Conservation
• Sustainable Transport
• Green Procurement
• Community Engagement and Awareness
• Continuous Improvement
• Reporting and Accountability

Book in a regular group catch up and action just one point off the plan each time.

The extra win is that genuine sustainable changes will also generate you higher profits. Researchers from McKinsey & Company found that companies which pursued sustainability with the genuine aim of creating additional value (not just attempts at greenwashing) generated higher profits for their organisation in both the medium term (3-5 years) and in the long term (5-10 years) than those which did not pursue sustainability.

By adopting sustainable practices, supporting the workforce, engaging service users, and collaborating, social care providers can work towards a more sustainable, cost effective, higher revenue generating and resilient future.