Hospital trust offers to test low-carbon technologies in a bid to drive innovation in the sector
Industry given chance to test low-carbon technologies in hospitals
A leading London hospital trust is offering manufacturers the chance to test energy-saving products in a real-life healthcare environment as part of a bid to drive innovation in the sector.
With the NHS charged with slashing its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, trusts across the country are seeking evidence that proves which technologies work the best and provide the quickest payback on investment.
And, to help them in their search, built environment research organisation, BRE, and sustainability managers from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) have set a challenge.
UCLH director of estates and facilities management, Trevor Payne, explained: “We want suppliers to give us innovations to test in a real-life environment. We won’t be able to endorse particular products, but we can work with suppliers.
"NHS estates and facilities managers all receive lots and lots of information about lots and lots of innovations and we want to cut that down.
"The challenge to suppliers is to embrace the trial and work with us to develop products that can be deployed into hospitals quickly. We will help to fast-track them."
The team is also looking for academics and NHS trusts to get involved in the research, which aims to provide a top 10 of ‘quick win’ technologies that will have the biggest impact on emissions.
"There is a huge timebomb surrounding the health service and we want to make the challenge easier to understand," Payne added.
