The publication of a route map for NHS managers to reduce carbon emissions has been criticized by The Green Party as too timid in its target setting.
This week, the Government published, ‘A Greener Route for the National Health Service', which set a target of a 10% reduction in carbon output for the NHS by 2015. The plan is designed to reduce energy consumption in all NHS buildings.
Under the plans, the NHS will now have to take into account the environmental costs of decisions. This could potentially include the redeployment of health service funds to pay for home insulation for older people to reduce hospital admissions in winter. Several primary care trusts are already giving new buildings "carbon audits" before giving new buildings the go-ahead. Other trusts are recognising that they are wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds paying for bins stuffed with normal rubbish to be disposed of at the more expensive rate for clinical waste.
Adrian Ramsay, deputy leader of the Green Party, said: "Many of the ideas in the report are to be applauded, especially the insulation of all hospitals, a geothermal energy project at Kings Mill hospital in Nottinghamshire (1), improving air conditioning efficiency, and proposals to have more locally-produced and vegetarian meals.
"However, a 10% reduction over 4 years is a very cautious target. Currently, the NHS produces nearly as much carbon dioxide annually as Croatia.
"It's also not clear whether GP consortiums will be given responsibility for meeting carbon reduction targets when they are handed responsibility for the commissioning of NHS services. Extra money needs to be earmarked to back up these ideas. If this doesn't happen, many trusts will be caught in declining budgets, and these initiatives may go nowhere."
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Notes
1) The Kings Mill Acute Care Hospital - "The BREEAM 'Excellent' sustainability rating is based on numerous integrated design features, including the largest geothermal lake loop scheme in Europe and a tri-generation energy plant. These provide all the cooling without chillers and 40% of the heating requirement saving 9,600MWh of gas and electricity and £12,000 a year over the smaller facility that this new hospital replaces."