The healthcare sector in the UK, encompassing both public NHS facilities and private care homes, is facing a dual challenge: improving sustainability while ensuring high standards of care.

Healthcare operations are energy-intensive, with 24/7 demands on lighting, heating, and medical equipment. However, the financial pressure to achieve sustainability goals while maintaining the quality of patient care is significant.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are responsible for substantial energy consumption. Energy consumption in hospitals is growing steadily. Electricity already accounts for over 50% of a hospital’s energy costs and with the increased use of specialist medical  equipment that generally relies on electricity, consumption is set to increase(1).

This results in high operational costs and a significant environmental footprint. To meet the UK's commitment to net zero by 2050, the healthcare sector must drastically reduce its carbon emissions, and energy-efficient upgrades are a key part of this process(2).

In addition to energy concerns, the healthcare sector must also deal with the challenge of ageing infrastructure. Many NHS buildings and care homes were constructed decades ago and require extensive retrofitting to meet modern sustainability standards. This presents a major hurdle for facilities that are already working within tight budgets and with limited resources(3).

Furthermore, the healthcare sector must meet increasing regulatory expectations surrounding sustainability and carbon reporting. The NHS, for instance, is required to demonstrate how it will meet its carbon neutrality targets(4). However, implementing energy-efficient systems can be challenging due to concerns over patient safety and operational downtime during upgrades.

To support healthcare providers, the government has introduced several funding schemes, such as the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), to help finance energy-efficiency projects(5). Despite these opportunities, limited internal expertise and time for planning and delivery remain barriers to progress.

To address these challenges, healthcare providers must integrate sustainability into their long-term strategies, leveraging available funding and resources to make impactful changes.

Bibliography

1 Hospitals: healthy budget through energy efficiency (Accessed May 2025) https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/media/eanhseoa/hospitals-sector-guidance.pdf

2 UK health services make landmark pledge to achieve net zero (Accessed May 2025) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-health-services-make-landmark-pledge-to-achieve-net-zero

3 Old buildings and out of date facilities are costing the NHS dear (Accessed May 2025) https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1862

4 Green plan guidance (Accessed May 2025) https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/

5 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (Accessed May 2025) https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-sector-decarbonisation-scheme