NHS Property Services (NHSPS) have published their three-year Green Plan, outlining their focusses of decarbonising the NHS estate and the transition to net zero.
The Green Plan is in support of NHS England’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2040, as the health sector continues to scale back their carbon emissions with 99% of NHSPS waste now diverted from landfills.
The Green Plan details three main targets:
- Providing long-term, sustainable models of care – Continue to deliver a flagship social prescribing programme, transforming vacant and underutilised space on the NHS estate into affordable, or free-of-charge, facilities for community groups.
- Greener travel and transport – Transitioning NHS vehicles into ultra-low emission vehicles, as well as develop an electric vehicle strategy, with a supplementary infrastructure plan included.
- Decarbonising estates – This includes carrying out decarbonisation feasibility studies for end-of-life gas or oil-fired heating systems, as well as establishing a calculation tool with carbon as the main metric to measure cost savings against.
Head of Energy and Environment at NHSPS, Cameron Hawkins, said: “The relationship between our health and our environment are inherently linked. It is vital that sustainability values are embedded in everything the NHS does, so that together we can improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve.
“We have already made tremendous progress in decarbonising the NHS Estate, and this bold, ambitious Green Plan will build on those successes and take our Greener NHS ambition to the next level. As owners of a large part of the NHS estate, we are in the unique position where we can make a substantial contribution to NHS England’s 2040 net zero targets.”
NHSPS are also opening one of the first net zero health facilities this summer – the Devizes Health Centre in Wiltshire. The new site will utilise the latest ‘green’ innovations, including heat pumps and solar panels, ultimately reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.
NHSPS has already made good progress towards their decarbonisation goals however, recording a 30% reduction in their carbon footprint since 2019 – subsequently saving the NHS £23m that can be reinvested back into health sector.
They have also pivoted to 100% renewable electricity, as well as curating a strategy which aims to minimise the amount waste directed to landfills.
To view the NHSPS Green Plan, click here.
