As the NHS pushes towards a sustainable future, ambitious targets are holding Trusts to account. With a pledge to reach net-zero for direct emissions by 2040 and reach an 80% overall reduction by 2028-2032, NHS England is striving to move green initiatives up the agenda.
However, meeting these targets is dependent on finding cost-effective ways to drive down emissions, minimise downtime and prioritise patient care. Fortunately, the solution for this already exists in the form of smart building controls.
So, let’s dive into the decarbonisation challenges in healthcare, the opportunities that smarter buildings bring, and assess where great efficiency gains are already being made in the sector.
Decarbonisation challenges in healthcare
The NHS is responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions produced by the public sector. Despite efforts to cut emissions, recent research found that one in three Trusts do not have a clear roadmap in place to meet Net-Zero targets or do not measure their carbon footprint. Progress is needed – and fast.
The primary objective for all NHS trusts must be finding ways to ensure energy efficiencies across the board. It’s possible to do this by adopting smart monitoring solutions that can be integrated with new or existing Building Management Systems (BMS), to curtail energy waste and reduce harmful emissions.
The data produced by these solutions inform the management of building operations, helping to identify where improvements and efficiencies can be made.
Attempts to decarbonise operations have been delayed by the backlog of maintenance activities caused by the pandemic, the cost of which has risen to £13.8 billion – more than the total cost of running the entire NHS estate.
The primary objective for all NHS trusts must be finding ways to ensure energy efficiencies across the board
Regardless of the backlog, facilities management, and engineering teams must avoid any disruption to patient care while conducting maintenance, repairs, upgrades or retrofits.
The NHS can’t afford downtime to critical infrastructure in case it affects the use of surgical theatres, ICU wards, and other critical health centres.
Therefore, the NHS must take meticulous steps to ensure that upgrades, retrofits, and repairs do not affect patient care.
Working smarter
Fortunately, it’s now possible to boost sustainability across NHS buildings and estates, without causing any disruption to patient care. From reducing energy waste and cutting carbon emissions to enhancing patient comfort and staff working conditions, this can all be achieved through the adoption of smart building technologies.
A combination of digital tools will create a smarter and fully connected healthcare estate that provides an unprecedented level of insight into a site’s activities.
By measuring and collecting data in real-time, healthcare leaders can find opportunities to drive greater efficiencies and improve facility use.
This visibility of assets, people, activities, and pathways enhances understanding and makes it possible to find and action efficiency gains. The accumulation of data will help to fine tune building operations across NHS estates and support the transition to a dynamic, flexible energy system capable of integrating renewables.
Attempts to decarbonise operations have been delayed by the backlog of maintenance activities caused by the pandemic
The expansion of digital infrastructures also paves the way for artificial intelligence to power further insights and improvements, and automation to support condition-based maintenance.
While these technologies can be applied to monitor and control HVAC, lighting and other building functions to conserve energy, they can also play a vital role in improving occupant comfort and wellbeing. This can be done automatically based on IoT sensors and integrating automation that monitors the occupancy of buildings or can be altered by patients themselves.
Successful implementation of smart room controls gives patients the independence to control the temperature and lighting in their own rooms, freeing up staff to focus on delivering primary care.
Smart innovation in action
But don’t just take our word for it – the NHS is already trialling smart building controls to improve patient experience and reduce energy usage.
The Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has demonstrated the benefits of such digital technologies on improving comfort and patient care with solutions such as personalised and voice-activated environmental room controls.
At its Linden Lodge site, the technology gives patients independence to control the temperature, blinds, and lighting in their own rooms, meaning patients are less reliant on clinical staff for simple asks.
This alleviates pressure on busy staff and gives them more time to focus on clinical care, while also adding to the patient experience and reducing energy waste in unused rooms. Meticulous planning and delivery ensured that there was no impact on patient care while the retrofit took place, eliminating downtime in a critical environment.
the NHS must take meticulous steps to ensure that upgrades, retrofits, and repairs do not affect patient care
Smart building controls can play an important role in helping NHS estates achieve their Net Zero targets and reduce their maintenance backlog.
Facilities management teams can leverage real-time data to improve operations, and streamline maintenance and repairs, with minimum disruption or downtime.
The data also provides them with the baseline they need to lower emissions, implement robust decarbonisation strategies and transition to renewables.
In addition, occupancy data combined with automation can optimise environmental conditions, in some cases even allowing patients to adjust conditions themselves. Crucially, this helps to improve productivity as it allows healthcare professionals to prioritise patient care. These innovations will contribute towards a more sustainable and efficient health service.