Building sustainable hospitals for generations to come
Monday 18 December 2023
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital decarbonisation journey
Salix visits Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital to see how low-carbon upgrades will improve the patient experience
A positive patient experience is at the heart of the vision driving four decarbonisation projects at Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
We were on the ground in Birmingham to meet with key stakeholders from the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to see how the projects are progressing and discuss the challenges and opportunities for what lies ahead.
The Women’s Hospital is the main maternity hospital for the West Midlands and supports more than 50,000 patients a year. It is also home to a large fertility centre and prides the services it supports from conception through to birth and beyond.
The Children’s Hospital is home to the UK’s leading specialist paediatric centre and cares for sick children and young people up to the age of 16. It offers expert care to more than 90,000 patients from across the UK every year.
Trust chief executive Matt Boazman said: “Meeting our carbon net zero commitments is a high priority for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
“The impact of climate change on health and wellbeing is serious and we are determined to play our part in minimising the impact we have on carbon emissions.
“As well as being great for the environment these changes improve the experiences of our patients, young people and families, and the working environment for our dedicated staff.”
Meeting our carbon net zero commitments is a high priority for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
The impact of climate change on health and wellbeing is serious and we are determined to play our part in minimising the impact we have on carbon emissions.
As well as being great for the environment these changes improve the experiences of our patients, young people and families, and the working environment for our dedicated staff.
A positive patient experience is also a core aim for the Trust, with government-funded projects paving the way to enable Trust-led investment in further decarbonisation across their estate. The scope of projects has been broadened to encompass further self-funded measures that the Trust expects will make their hospitals a more enjoyable place to be for those needing their services.
In the Children’s Hospital, funding will enable the relocation of the energy centre to the roof of the new emergency department. The space that this relocation will free up in the hospital will be used for a brand-new MRI suite which the Trust expects will support children to receive swifter treatment and surgical intervention as required.
Creativity has also been key, with the thermal stores visible from the burns unit set to be painted as trees to ensure they support the commitment to creating the best experience possible for children recovering in that ward.
Salix assistant director of programmes Chiara Lorenzetti and Emily Anderson from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero were amongst the visitors on the day.
Chiara said: “We were delighted to see the progress of the projects and witness the direct benefit that upgrades are already delivering through warm wards for patients.
“I was particularly impressed to see the wider impacts that the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme investment has supported with growing employment opportunities for estate teams and NHS in the area and the positive impacts on patients’ lives, especially for mothers, newborns and children.”
We were delighted to see the progress of the projects and witness the direct benefit that upgrades are already delivering through warm wards for patients.
I was particularly impressed to see the wider impacts that the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme investment has supported with growing employment opportunities for estate teams and NHS in the area and the positive impacts on patients’ lives, especially for mothers, newborns and children.
The four projects we discussed, which are worth a combined total of £69,800,833, have received a total Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant value of £62,911,627. Funding is being delivered by Salix on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Matt added: “We have been granted significant funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix, enabling us to dramatically change our buildings for the better, with the introduction of ground source heat pumps, cladding, triple glazing and use of solar energy.”
We have been granted significant funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, delivered by Salix, enabling us to dramatically change our buildings for the better, with the introduction of ground source heat pumps, cladding, triple glazing and use of solar energy.
The funding is set to enable the introduction of low-carbon heating technologies through ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps, as well as associated fabric improvements through cladding, glazing and insulation at the Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital and Parkview Clinic, a mental health facility that we were unable to visit on the day.
No project is without challenges, one of which is in the logistical demand to progress the projects while the hospital stays operational as an essential service. Strong stakeholder management is key to ensuring this challenge is overcome and the projects are enabled to progress.
The Trust has also set up multiple work groups in which staff across the Trust are encouraged to take part to offer feedback which ensures the Trust’s priorities are correct and resonate well with people delivering care services.
There is also a large focus on taking the Birmingham community on the decarbonisation journey, with the Trust running an educational campaign to help people to understand the technologies they are using, the changes they are making and what benefits the outcomes will offer to people and planet.
View the Trust’s educational video to help people to understand how ground source heat pumps work.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Trust as the projects progress through to completion, with Parkview due to complete by 31 March 2024 and all other works expected to complete by 31 March 2025.
Cladding and triple glazing being installed at Birmingham Women's Hospital
Photo credit: Salix Finance
Bringing the community on the journey at Birmingham Children's Hospital
Photo credit: Salix Finance
