The unstinting efforts of the estates team at Kent’s Medway Maritime Hospital to reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint have been recognised by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) for the second year running, with the team scooping the award for the “Low Carbon Operator/Manager of the Year” at CIBSE’s 2009 Low Carbon Performance Awards in London.
The Kent hospital was not only the sole NHS organisation represented in this year’s shortlist, but a year earlier the same estates team had won CIBSE’s 2008 “Best Carbon Performance Award” for energy savings achieved at three hospital buildings at the Gillingham site (HEJ – April 2008) over the previous 12 months. As reported in last September’s HEJ, and in a further article this January, the team’s most recent energy-saving drive extended to a considerably wider range of buildings, and included a broad spectrum of mechanical and electrical improvements. These included installing low energy lamps in nurses’ on-site accommodation, fitting 600 dimmable lamps above patient beds, installing PIR lighting zone controls in the main restaurant, fitting of low energy lighting at the hospital’s Postgraduate Centre, and incorporating three new Hydrovar inverters into the soft water pumping system in the main plant room. Also undertaken have been boiler room installation of reverse osmosis equipment, replacement of lights and controls in the hospital’s library, and fitting of time delay switches in storerooms and cleaners’ cupboards. Playing a major part by encouraging staff involvement, and by producing and disseminating leaflets and flyers, have been the Trust’s 45 energy champions. Receiving the award at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 4 February from yachtswoman Dame Ellen McArthur and Allan Hurdle, managing director, UK Fans, at award category sponsor Fläkt Woods, were (centre left and centre right of picture respectively) Medway NHS Foundation Trust environmental manager Paul Evans and Phil Belton, the latter, until his recent move to another health estates role elsewhere, technical engineer – environmental at the Medway Maritime. Paul Evans said: “To win last year was fantastic, but to win again this year, and in a different award category, is brilliant. It’s a huge acknowledgement for all the hard work and dedication of the Trust and its team of environmental champions, without whom this would not have been possible. We have made a commitment to reduce our carbon emissions by 15% by 2010, and are on target to honour it.”
