IHEEM President, and director of NHS Estates & Facilities Scotland, Paul Kingsmore, opened proceedings by welcoming a capacity audience of delegates who had travelled the length and breadth of the country to listen to presentations from industry leaders.
Dr David Pencheon, NHS Sustainable Development Unit director, was the first to the platform, with a passionate presentation entitled “Not just the environment: health, healthcare, and a sustainable NHS”. Dr Pencheon defined sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present... without compromising the ability of others elsewhere and future generations to meet their own needs”. He went on to highlight the NHS’s current sizeable carbon footprint, arguing that, with 60% of NHS carbon output associated with procurement, innovations in areas such as pharmaceutical procurement were key to cutting carbon. Dr Pencheon stressed that sustainability in the NHS was “an urgent issue – with many opportunities, and that it was aligned with many other drivers within the NHS”. He closed by emphasising his view that “innovation happens in local health economies supported by national policy”, adding: “It is happening on our watch, and will be our legacy.” In the spirit of the event, the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is at the forefront of NHS efforts on carbon reduction as part of the Carbon Trust NHS Carbon Reduction initiative, calculated the carbon generated from the conference, and announced that this will be offset over the next nine months by newly installed solar panels installed upon the estate.
Importance of environmental design strategy
Professor Alan Short, Professor of Architecture at Cambridge University (HEJ – June 2010), presented on the subject of “Working towards passive and hybrid hospitals in temperate climates”. He stressed that “no building should be designed without some environmental design strategy for dealing with a changing climate”, adding that both existing and new buildings needed to be “resilient and robust”. He went on to present “a number of innovative solutions for zero energy buildings utilising stackdriven ventilated systems combined with supply labyrinths and resilient structures”, and demonstrated the energy savings these proposals could potentially deliver. Tim Pryce, Public Sector manager at the Carbon Trust, outlined the Trust’s aims, stating that its “mission” was “to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy”. He said: “We cut carbon now by providing specialist advice and finance to help organisations cut carbon, and by setting standards for carbon reduction. We cut potential future carbon emissions by opening markets for low carbon technologies, leading industry collaborations to commercialise technologies, and by investing in early stage low carbon companies.”
Sustainable lighting solutions
Mike Simpson, technical and design director for Phillips Lighting UK, spoke to delegates on the topic of sustainable lighting solutions for the NHS, stressing the need for a holistic approach to sustainability. He said: “Innovation occurs in a climate where economic, social, and environmental factors are aligned”, before going on to outline how investing in energy-efficient lighting and controls can impact on organisations’ Carbon Management Plan. Closing the event, Phil Nedin, Arup global healthcare director, delivered an enlightening presentation on how the built environment can play its part in delivering a sustainable future for the NHS. He explained the importance of sustainable design, and explored the benefits of whole-life costing versus first cost, the benefit of a therapeutic environment and its impact on carbon use, and the advantages of single-occupant rooms and narrow plan building footprints. Ian Hinitt, deputy director of estates, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and IHEEM Yorkshire Branch chairman, said: “Promoting sustainable development, and strengthening sustainability networks, are key to meeting the needs of a future NHS. We were delighted to welcome so many experts under one roof to explore and debate the topic of sustainability for a future NHS.”
