As a major local employer with a turnover of £174m the two hospitals create 417 tonnes of domestic waste and 514 tonnes of clinical waste each year. Around half a million patients, relatives and visitors make a journey to the hospitals each year. Although Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals has over the years had a number of ‘green’ initiatives, in the light of recent concerns it has decided to make a clear commitment to ‘go green’. This commitment was set out in a paper to the Trust board meeting on 31st May.

In recent years the hospitals Trust has contributed to improving the local environment and reducing the Trust’s ‘carbon footprint’ through:

·          the development of Homewood Park on old NHS land; development of a new boiler house which is more efficient and reduces emissions;

·          establishing a recycling scheme which has seen the amount of domestic waste recycled go from 17.5 per cent in December 2006 to 38 per cent in April 2007;

·          continuing a programme of recycling and helping others through the donation of equipment and supplies which would be regarded as obsolete in the UK but are gratefully received by developing nations; and

·          promoting the use of alternatives to travel by car, such as the Trust’s own ‘Peterbus’ and ‘Hospital Hopper’ services, improved bike shelters and participating in the Surrey Car Share Scheme.

Following discussions with The Carbon Trust, Ashford and St. Peter’s has invested in new technology to reduce energy consumption and costs. Each year the energy bill for the two hospitals is around £2m. By implementing recommendations from The Carbon Trust including:

·          regulating temperatures throughout Trust buildings;

·          improving the control of air conditioning units; and

·          encouraging staff to take responsibility for energy conservation

The Trust is hoping to make progress towards meeting the government target of a reduction in energy usage of 15 per cent. The Trust estimates that an investment of £155,000 will produce savings of £260,800 over three years. This programme of investment started in late 2006.

Director of Performance, Information and Facilities, Ian Mackenzie says: “It is very clear to us that the world is changing and we have a duty to our local population, patients and staff to embrace new ways of thinking about how we interact with the environment. Our discussions with the Carbon Trust have shown us that for a small investment we can make long term savings which can be reinvested in patient care. Although we have supported a number of initiatives in the past we know that there is more we can do and that is why we are signing up to the ‘Convergence of Health and Sustainable Development’ manifesto and network.”

Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals is the first NHS Trust in the country to make this commitment to the manifesto and network and will be adopting an eight point checklist for environmentally sustainable NHS services as follows:

An eight-point checklist for environmentally sustainable NHS services

1.          Set a carbon reduction target to reduce the NHS’ contribution to global warming; reduce energy consumption and obtain electricity from renewable sources, including investigation of local generation through solar panels and windmills

2.          Set a Trust recycling target of 40-60% for domestic waste

3.          Reduce water consumption: Fit water-efficient taps, toilets etc. and investigation of harvesting rainwater and ‘grey water’ from buildings.

4.          Procure environmentally-sound products, locally where possible. For example, procuring local food stimulates the local economy, reduces ‘food miles’ and therefore carbon emissions, and improves nutrition for patients, staff and visitors.

5.          Minimise car use: Implement transport and travel plans, and recruit staff locally where possible

6.          Increase biodiversity: more green space on NHS land, with mixed native planting (even in small corners) provides habitat for insects and birds, and will help patients to recover more quickly and improve staff well-being

7.          Incorporate environmental improvement [i.e. all the above] into the design of new buildings and refurbishments. Use whole-life costing methodologies. Try to use environmentally-friendly materials as you would at home.

8.          Undertake health and environmental impact assessments, or better still integrated appraisal, routinely on all plans and developments.

To support this work the Trust will:

1.          Hold open meetings for staff to establish a support base for ‘Going Green’;

2.          Establish a steering group;

3.          Benchmark the Trust against the eight point check list, assessment tools and bring together the reports already available e.g. the Carbon Trust report, Department of Health’s ‘Corporate Citizenship’ assessment tool, etc.;

4.          As policies and procedures are reviewed give consideration to the inclusion of good environmental practices; and

5.          Identify initiatives and build upon the programme of work already in place.