£53million decarbonisation funding award for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s | News

Our Trust has been awarded a huge £53million grant, to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and make patients feel more comfortable.

Contributing £5.5million itself over the next three years, our Trust will undergo £58million of vital carbon-saving initiatives at both our Women’s and Children’s Hospitals. This will include the installation of state-of-the-art, eco-friendly ground source heat pumps, a re-render and insulation of exterior walls, replacement of old single glazed windows and a remodelling of the Children’s Hospital’s main entrance.

Every year, BWC is responsible for 63,701 tonnes of CO₂e - the equivalent to the carbon impact of heating 23,593 homes for one year. While our Trust has made considerable progress to reduce its total carbon emissions by 11% over the last few years (equivalent to 2,800 tonnes CO2e per year) this BEIS grant will now significantly accelerate its plans to be more carbon friendly.

With over £31million planned spend at the Children’s and £27million at the Women’s, the BEIS grant is the second largest in the UK to be awarded, through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and managed through Salix Finance. This provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.

Day-to-day activities within our buildings account for around 24% of its carbon emissions. These are the fossil fuels used to heat its buildings, the electricity used to power and cool the buildings, and the refrigerant gases that are used within chillers and air conditioning units. At both sites, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units burn gas to produce electricity and heat but these will reach their end of life in three years’ time. If left, this will continue to contribute to climate change and pollution - a key cause of poor health and wellbeing experienced by people living in some of the most deprived parts of Birmingham.

Poor insulation and the temperature of the buildings - either being too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter – also features highly in formal and informal feedback from patients, families and staff, affect the giving and receiving of care. Our 125-year-old Grade II listed Children's Hospital building has particular issues that arise from the age of some buildings. Many windows are over 100 years old and cannot be opened more than a few centimetres for ventilation.

In tandem with the West Midlands Combined Authority’s commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2041, this project is the first significant step towards the ambitions articulated in our Trust’s recently launched Green Plan. The plan sets out BWC’s commitment to achieving an 80% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions between 2028 and 2032 and 100% (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2045.

Speaking about the BEIS grant, our Chief Executive, Sarah-Jane Marsh, said:

“Birmingham Women’s and Children’s has been committed to reducing our carbon output for many years. But the scale of what was needed and the money involved, has made it near impossible.

“Anyone who has been to either of our hospitals will have experienced the extreme temperatures. The 60-year-old Women’s Hospital is like a green house in the summer and a freezer in the winter. The Grade II listed Children’s Hospital, with its 125-year-old single glazed windows, faces many of the same challenges.

“Now, thanks to this generous £53 million BEIS grant, which complements our future planning and Big Build ambitions, we can make much needed improvements, not only for our women, children, young people and families, but also the environment we all depend on”.

The work on each hospital will begin imminently, with an initial nine-month planning phase.

Ian Rodger, Salix Finance’s Director of Programmes, said:

“With the healthcare sector producing 20 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year in the UK, the NHS is a crucial player in the pursuit of the 2045 Net Zero target outlined in the Greener NHS plan.

“We’re delighted to have been able to award Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust with this grant. This exciting project is going to make not only a huge difference to the environment and the health and wellbeing of the people of Birmingham but also to the Trust’s patients, families and staff.”

Watch our announcement video on our YouTube channel below