Morecambe Bay hospitals trust award of £887k will help reduce energy bills

On February 5 the government announced that eighty-two NHS trusts, eight military sites and one prison will receive a share of £74 million to adopt clean energy technologies and improve their energy efficiency.

More than £9 million will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE) for batteries and solar panels, building on the publicly owned energy company’s £255 million investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites last year.

From this national funding, UHMBT has been allocated £887,000 to help bring down bills, install new clean energy upgrades and create savings that can be reinvested into frontline services.

Of the £887,000 awarded, £542,000 will be used for additional LED lighting across the Trust and the remainder will be used for building management systems.

Building management systems are essentially remote controllers that can switch equipment on and off or adjust things like temperature and airflow.

They bring together different building systems such as heating, cooling, lighting and security, so they can work more efficiently.

This helps save energy, reduces running costs and keeps buildings comfortable for the people inside.

David Sanderson, Director of Estates and Facilities, UHMBT, said: “We warmly welcome this national funding. Reducing our energy bills means we can reinvest more directly into the services our patients rely on every day. This support helps us continue making improvements to our estate and strengthens our commitment to delivering safe, sustainable healthcare.

“This investment comes at an important time for UHMBT, as we have been working hard over the past year to modernise our facilities with LED lighting, significant solar projects and enhanced building management systems. The new funding enables us to build on this progress, increase our control and monitoring of energy use and further reduce our environmental impact for the benefit of both patients and staff.

“The funding helps us take another step towards the NHS’ ambition to become Net Zero. These upgrades will not only cut carbon emissions but also generate long term savings that can be directed back into frontline patient care.”

Professor Andrew Furber, Regional Director for Public Health at NHS England in the North West, said: “This announcement really pushes our NHS forward to achieving our commitment to becoming the first health system to achieve net zero, and this funding will mean that the NHS across the North West is focused and ready for the future.

“Communities across our region will not only benefit from a cleaner, sustainable environment, but also from more money being directly put back into healthcare on the frontline through lower energy bills.”

Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England said: “This funding will enable more hospitals to improve their energy efficiency and deliver millions of pounds worth of cost savings that can be redirected into frontline care.

“These measures will also help the NHS continue to support patients and communities while accelerating progress towards a lower-carbon and more sustainable health system.”

Martin McCluskey, Minister for Energy Consumers, said: “More money will go straight to frontline services as hospitals, prisons and military sites benefit from cheaper bills and cutting-edge green technology.

“This is our clean power mission in action – cutting bills, investing in public services and providing energy security for our country.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “With lower bills for hospitals, better value for money, and a cleaner, more efficient NHS, everybody wins.

“Every penny of these savings will be redirected straight back into frontline care and delivering an NHS patients, staff and the whole country can be proud of again. This investment will help us build an NHS fit for the future.”