Publish date: 30 December 2021
Environmental award for local NHS trust
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has won an award for efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
The trust, which runs hospitals and community services in Northumberland and North Tyneside, received the silver award in the Green Apple Environmental Best Practice category at the belated Green World Awards 2020. The award recognises the achievements the trust has made to reduce its carbon emissions and become more environmentally sustainable.
Northumbria Healthcare has already invested in a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles to transport medicines and other resources across an area of over 500 square miles and has installed 79 electrical vehicle charging points at its hospital sites.
Additionally, the trust is installing LED lights, more efficient heating systems and has recently installed a machine which allows the recycling of plastic masks into plastic blocks to be used as a raw material in other industries.
Damon Kent, managing director of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “I’m thrilled this hard work has been recognised through this prestigious award. I’m so proud of all the teams involved in making this happen. This demonstrates just how dedicated we are in reducing our environmental impact for the communities we serve.”
The Green World Awards is the biggest environmental awards campaign in the world and is the first to be accredited as an official feeder scheme into the European Business Awards for the Environment. With entries from Governments, Ministries and Regional Authorities as well as companies, organisations and communities across the entire private and public sectors, it rewards and promotes environmental best practice around the world.
Damon continued, “We are constantly aiming to reduce our carbon footprint and we know there is lots more to be done. Looking to the future, we have already begun to decarbonise North Tyneside General Hospital and we aim to meet the requirements of the NHS Green Plan to be net zero by 2040.”