East Cheshire NHS Trust invests £7m into energy efficient schemes helping to deliver a greener NHS

East Cheshire NHS Trust has received a £7m grant from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for decarbonising and energy work to be carried out at Macclesfield Hospital.

This follows a successful application to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), delivered by Salix Finance.

The funds will now be invested into schemes across the site, alongside Centrica, the trust’s energy partner, that will help deliver a greener NHS. This will include re-roofing 60% of Macclesfield Hospital so it is a more thermally efficient building, improving patient and staff experience.

The investment on site will cover:

• Re-roofing approximately 60% of Macclesfield Hospital, with work starting in the coming months. This will significantly improve thermal efficiency, reduce heating demand and heat loss whilst improving the ward environment for patients and staff.
• Installing a low carbon, more efficient heat pump to reduce reliance on expensive fossil fuel-powered heating, with work set to start in June 2022. 

The PSDS enables public sector organisations to move away from gas heating to cleaner and more efficient sources of renewable energy. The project will significantly improve the energy efficiency of Macclesfield Hospital and enable the trust to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by:

• 999 tonnes CO2e / year
• 4,262,903 kWh energy / year

Ged Murphy, Acting Chief Executive at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said; “Our main source of heating at Macclesfield Hospital is gas so this move to electric as a more renewable energy source is fantastic news.

“This project and the benefits it will deliver will be a big step towards our Net Zero Carbon emissions targets and sustainability work set out in our Green Plan.

“We all know that climate change poses a major threat to our health as well as our planet and we want to build on the great work being done to reduce the impact on public health and the environment.” 

There will be minimal disruption while the re-roofing work is taking place and no impact on patient care. By using less gas and fossil fuels to keep the hospital warm, the trust will be reducing its CO2 emissions, whilst improving ventilation and thermal efficiency.

Ged added; “I am delighted this investment will help East Cheshire NHS Trust deliver more sustainable heath care for the future, improve our carbon footprint and reduce the environmental impact of our services for our staff, patients and the communities we serve.

“As part of the trust’s corporate social responsibility ambitions, we’re committed to taking the right steps to tackle climate change and this funding will help deliver significant carbon savings and take us a step closer to making us Net Zero Carbon by 2040.”

Rebecca McNamara from Salix Finance said: “We are very pleased to be working with East Cheshire NHS Trust and supporting them on their decarbonisation journey to deliver on their Net Zero Carbon targets.

“This project should make a remarkable difference to the patients, staff and the wider community.”

Pictured from left to right - Rob Few (Associate Director of Estates and Facilities), Sarah Bloor (Asset and Sustainability Manager) and Alan Hough (Head of Estates Operations) on the roof at Macclesfield Hospital, part of East Cheshire NHS Trust.