As the UK Government prepares its plans for cutting the budget deficit, the need to focus on cost-savings and efficiency gains has never been more important. Recent investment in new acute and primary care buildings is likely to be severely curtailed, so the existing NHS estate will be the subject of greater attention than before. Carbon reduction and sustainability improvements to the existing estate can help Trusts and Primary Care organisations balance their budgets in this age of austerity.
The NHS still has significant environmental impacts every year, including consumption of 45 Million GJ of energy and generating 3.4 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions; this energy use has significant (and increasing) cost implications. For many Trusts, the Carbon Reduction Commitment also sets requirements for addressing CO2 emissions.
SHINE will help NHS Trusts understand how sustainability of their estates can help with costs and efficiency by providing a series of targeted events, project case studies and other information over the next year. New case studies describing sustainable refurbishment and the benefits this brings will shorlty be added to the website and specific events will examine innovative financing mechanisms and carbon reduction strategies during winter and spring 2010/11.