Decarbonising the NHS: towards a net zero health service

The NHS is responding to the climate crisis. In 2020, the UK announced its plan to deliver the world’s first net zero health service – recognising that climate change and human health are “inextricably linked”.

The report, Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service, admits that the NHS is responsible for about 4% of the country’s carbon emissions – so it also has to be part of the solution. It targets decarbonising the NHS and making it net zero by 2040 in terms of its own carbon footprint, with indirect emissions net zero by 2045.

Yet if you manage the estate for an NHS organisation, you’re also focused on getting value for the money – so budget can be devoted to essential services. After all, organisations must manage decarbonisation in the context of available resources.

So how do you become more environmentally sustainable while remaining financially sustainable, too? Our new practical guide, Making it your Business: How to pursue net zero, offers ideas for the steps you can take now.

Four focus areas for decarbonising the NHS

There are a number of ‘sweet spots’, where you can achieve both your economic and environmental goals. Our practical guide explores these focus areas, and includes the personal experiences of sustainable leaders working in health care – from the likes of Wye Valley NHS Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Recommendations include:

Turning objectives into action

The importance of clear sustainability objectives cannot be understated. The NHS already requires trusts to set up a three-year green plan, for example, with updated guidance published in 2021.

To support these goals, the NHS also launched the Greener NHS Data Collection programme, intended to be a baseline for progress.

But when working out how to turn these objectives into an action plan, consider the opinions of other sustainability leaders in healthcare. One is Mark Thomas, Capital Projects Manager for Estates and Facilities at Wye Valley NHS Trust, who contributes his thoughts to our guide.

“It is easy to get carried away with ambitious projects, but don’t overlook what could be the low-hanging fruit,” Mark says. “Everyone is thinking about solutions such as ground-source heat pumps and air-source heat pumps, but we didn’t start out that way … We started by looking at leaking roofs and windows, and the building fabric, because it's a fairly easy and cost-effective way to improve energy efficiency.”

Choose the right options

There are many technical solutions available to help you progress your net zero journey. How do you make sure the options you choose are the right ones?

In the guide, Mark Foden, Head of Energy & Transport at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, discusses a practical example of how it can be necessary to adopt one approach to new-build developments, but apply different solutions when renovating existing facilities.

There’s no silver bullet to reaching net zero, and you’ll likely need to harness a range of different solutions and approaches. Working with an external partner like Centrica Business Solutions can help to ensure these are deployed and integrated with one another in the most effective way,

This multi-technology approach is demonstrated by Wye Valley NHS Trust, who have taken a significant step to lower its carbon footprint as part of a £4.7 million energy upgrade at the Hereford County Hospital site.

They’re installing 3,170 low energy lights in the main hospital building, alongside more than 300 rooftop solar panels, and a ground source heat pump network. In addition, modern switching mechanisms, 1,163 pipework insulation jackets and 263 metres of pipework lagging to reduce heat loss are also being installed in the buildings across the site.

Managing the impact on patient care

Our guide also focuses on the installation and integration of your chosen technical solution. This is critical, because in the NHS you need to consider the potential impact on patient care.

For example, we worked with St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on a new energy centre featuring CHP units (see separate case study).

During the work, we had to keep the boiler house operational, as the steam generated by the boilers is used to generate heat and hot water for the rest of the hospital. So we managed the installation without any impact on the hospital and its patients.

And in a large organisation such as the NHS, of course, culture will be critical in achieving net zero goals. The NHS England campaign Healthier Planet, Healthier People, for example, reinforces the need to take action not just on an organisational level, but on an individual one, too.

What’s your next step?

Download our practical guide to find your next step to reducing emissions in the healthcare sector. At each step of the journey, it includes key action points for you to follow.