Business Travel and Fleet

Business travel and fleet are the emissions linked to vehicle trips required as part of delivering our care and services. This does not include commuting, which is measured under staff travel.

We transport medicines, samples and patient records, as well as moving some patients to and from our hospitals. Some of our staff also use vehicles to get to patients in the community.

COVID-19 showed us that it was possible to change how we deliver care remotely, as well as opportunities for more sustainable travel in local communities. We've also seen the Clean Air Zone begin changing how deliveries are made around Birmingham.

A car exhaust

What we've done

  • Purchased a fully electric maintenance van for our Estates Department
  • Developed flexible working, meeting and communication options that reduce the need for staff to travel between sites.
  • Promoted the option of claiming expenses for miles cycled rather than driven.

What we're doing

  • Developing a Trust-wide Fleet Programme to ensure all vehicles purchased/leased are low and ultra low emissions.
  • Reviewing the specification of our patient transport services
  • Providing more options for cycling between sites.
  • Started investigating options for community teams to use bicycles to get between patient visits.
  • Begun exploring incentives and deterrents for lower and higher polluting travel.