The updated plan will continue to embed sustainability throughout the organisation, reducing air pollution and carbon emissions while improving care.
Air pollution contributes to one in 20 deaths in the UK with the NHS responsible for up to 5% of all greenhouse gases
Frimley Health’s refreshed Green Plan supports the NHS commitment to become net zero by 2045, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to as low as possible.
Often reducing carbon emissions goes hand in hand with financial savings and improving patient care.
Commitments in Frimley Heath’s Green Plan 2025-28 include:
- Incrementally phasing out the use of fossil fuel, reducing gas usage and moving towards renewable energy
- Improving population health by reducing air pollution
- Introducing ‘greener’ clinical pathways while improving patient care
- Cutting back on single use plastics and increasing uptake of reuseable surgical and medical textiles, medical devices and equipment
- Transitioning to zero-emissions vehicles
- Investing in more staff health and wellbeing initiatives, including promoting active travel and increasing green spaces
The trust will also use sustainable, low carbon designs for building projects including its replacement for Frimley Park Hospital, reduce waste and increase recycling, and maximise the use of digital technologies that improve and streamline patient care and experience, while reducing travel and emissions.
The refreshed Green Plan builds on existing environmental achievements at Frimley Heath, including:
- Reduced building emissions by 4.5 kilotonnes since 2019, equal to taking about 1,000 cars off the road for a year.
- Solar panels generating 50 megawatt-hours of electricity per year
- A combined heat and power unit at Wexham Park Hospital generating 8 gigawatt-hours per year, similar to the electricity used by around 2,500 homes.
- Zero waste to landfill achieved, with better clinical waste segregation
- Paper use halved due to the introduction of an electronic patient record system