Quicksilva Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Policy

Quicksilva is based in the Wiltshire countryside and as such we take rural issues particularly sustainable development very seriously.

We apply our Environmental Management Policy which is part of our certified ISO9001:2015 system standards to all aspects of the business.  The purpose of this Policy is to ensure maximum publicity for environmental issues within the Company and to nurture awareness among Quicksilva people and those with whom we come into contact in course of our business activities.

We also recognise the social, environmental and ethical impacts of the work we do when undertaking our bidding risk assessments – this is not as difficult in our industry, as unlike some, we do not produce hazardous waste, gases, noise or nuisance that would affect the environment.

Our strategy encompasses the five principles of sustainable development at the heart of good Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. In particular:

Living Within Environmental Limits

At Quicksilva we are proud of our rural location and strives to keep environmental protection at the heart of our culture.  Efforts have been in the management of the land attached to our office, which has seen us engage with Bath University’s environmental agent who has advised on the management of surrounding woods and gardens.  Quicksilva is committed to the process of laying down a wildlife area, having set aside a plot of land for the purpose.

Commercially, Quicksilva’s products have enabled many NHS organisations to switch from using paper forms to operating electronically, resulting in drastic reductions in the use of consumables such as paper, printer and fax toner and reducing the associated environmental impact of the supply chain.

Ensuring a Strong, Healthy and Just Society

Quicksilva’s products have resulted in better co-ordination of patient care across many NHS regions.  In particular Quicksilva is keen to build on its achievements in the social care sector, where its orQestra® product has been particularly effective in the care of vulnerable mental health patients.  We have also won an eHealth Insider Award that recognises Innovation in health sector thinking.

Achieving a Sustainable Economy

Within the business, regular internal audits are conducted to monitor resource use.  Quicksilva’s intranet allows employees to view energy use and a competition to reduce it between wings of the building has been encouraged.  We have also reduced our energy demands by switching from power-hungry servers to a hosted virtual server environment.

Using Sound Science Responsibly

Quicksilva is keen that its rich pool of technical expertise can “give something back” to the industry and this is achieved by knowledge sharing regionally and nationally with other IT professionals, via user groups such as TechUK User groups, the HL7 organisation and the INTEROPen open source forum.

Promoting Good Governance

Care is taken that Quicksilva complies with all existing UK environmental legislation, regulation and codes of practice and it has a dedicated Corporate Assurance Manager to oversee and ensure its compliance, e.g. with the WEEE Directive, Buy Sustainable, Carbon Reduction, Climate Change Act, etc.

Quicksilva continues to grow and employs people from the local area as well as using contractors around the world through virtual communications.  It has recently worked with local schools to take on work experience students and has employed an IT Degree Apprentice, building relationships with the university involved.

Within the industry, Andy Cripps, Quicksilva’s Technical Director works to further inclusivity via hiss position as a board memebr of the TechDegrees which promotes IT skills for all, improving students’ and workers’ chances of a successful career in an increasingly digitalised culture.