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Building sustainably provides healing environments and healthier workplaces that can enhance public health. It maximises the benefits the building can bring to the local community and economy by, for example, generating local jobs and providing shared community resources within the project. It also minimises the impact of the construction and running of the building on the environment. This can help improve patient recovery times and can improve the health of staff and the local population, which will in turn reduce pressure on healthcare services, contributing to the long term viability of the NHS.
The NHS is undergoing a building renaissance with more than £12 billion being invested in new hospitals and primary care facilities, as well as continuing refurbishments. All this offers a huge opportunity for good corporate citizenship.
A sustainable building is designed to reduce waste, energy and resource use; saving money, reducing negative environmental impacts and benefiting health. During construction it offers local employment opportunities and procures from local businesses and enterprises. Purchasing materials locally benefits local businesses, and reduces traffic, air pollution and transportation costs. Careful location and planning of new NHS healthcare facilities can regenerate an area, helping to tackle health inequalities. Improved access by cycling, walking and public transport will benefit health. Given the size of some new NHS buildings, a combined heat and power (CHP) plant producing its own electricity will be cost effective, using ‘waste’ heat from electricity production to heat surrounding buildings.
This section covers construction waste, energy and carbon, regeneration and planning, design, building materials, policies and performance management, community resources and engagement and green spaces.
Top 5 Resources
Self-assessment software to estimate the environmental impacts of the current
existing NHS estate and new build/refurbishment schemes.
A toolkit for evaluating the design of healthcare buildings from initial proposals through to post project evaluation. It will also be a benchmarking tool, used to evaluate PFI and conventionally funded schemes.
Building for Health
Guidance on constructing sustainable healthcare buildings produced by the London Regional Public Health Group identifies key intervention points in the PFI procurement process where issues of sustainability can be most effectively introduced. It includes the Advisory Navigation Toolkit (ANT), which directs PFI/PPP Capital Planning Teams towards sources of information on sustainability.
For details contact: Duane Passman, Head of Capital Investment Unitduane.passman@dh.gsi.gov.uk
info@sdfoundation.org.uk
Resources
Achieving Excellence in Procurement Guides: Whole Life Costing & Sustainability
These OGC guides highlight the importance of sustainable development and Whole Life Costing in construction.
- Download Whole Life Costing PDF
size: 409 Kb - Download Sustainability PDF
size: 951 Kb
A set of mandatory standards from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) that need to be included for all new construction projects. They include a commitment to sustainable development.
(2003). ISBN 1 898671 35 4
A guide produced by the Construction Industry Council.green purchasing, private finance initiative and sustainability, education, waste, energy, community engagement, employment, housing, nutrition, noise, transport, biodiversity, measurement and many more. Duane Passman, Head of Capital Investment Unit
Guidance on how to build in a socially responsible way while retaining a focus on business benefits.
Implementing Action for Sustainability
- Download PDF
size: 346 Kb
A measuring tool that enables anyone to assess how a particular business
or initiative impacts on the local economy, and how to improve that impact
to help communities tackle the issues of deprivation from within.
Justin Sacks, New Economics Foundation, 020 7820 6382
An interactive checklist for local authorities and planners to integrate sustainable development into developments in the South East.
Offers UK businesses free, independent, confidential advice and support on practical ways to increase profits, minimise waste and reduce environmental impact.www.envirowise.gov.uk
Promoting sustainable buildings
This book examines the links between health and urban planning, translating concepts and principles into practical ideas for policy and practice with examples and case studies from cities around Europe.
Up to date information on health issues around the globe from the United
Nation’s specialised agency for health.
The WHO Centre is linked to a network of 45 “healthy cities” from
across the Europe and is based in a built environment faculty. It undertakes
research and provides advice to the Healthy Cities network.
PROGRESS IN PRACTICE
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s Cardiology and Surgical Unit
In developing this new facility, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust included health education, local procurement, waste management, training and employment, and community engagement programmes to illustrate how resources can be used to benefit the local economy, community and environment.
Newham University Hospital NHS Trust's sustainable Gateway Surgical Centre
The 2006 Health Service Journal Good Corporate Citizenship Award winning project to build a sustainable NHS treatment centre that provides maximum benefit, and minimum harm, to the local community, economy and environment.
The Chai Centre
The Chai Centre in Danehouse, Burnley is an intergrated healthy living and children's centre, promoting sustainable development and healthy lifestyles amongst the local community.
In East Lancashire primary care facilities are being redeveloped through LIFT, and the opportunities to contribute to local regeneration are being maximised
A LIFT scheme to develop a new ‘one-stop shop’ health facility in the south of Manchester, which integrates health and social care with education, employment and leisure facilities.
A project to explore how a major PFI redevelopment scheme at St Bartholomew’s and the London Hospitals NHS Trust can contribute to local regeneration.
Great Western Hospital
Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) development, with Carillion, incorporated sustainable development thinking throughout the construction process.
DID YOU KNOW?
NHS energy use produces about 3.5m tonnes of CO²
78% of Directors of Nursing say that hospital design impacts on the recruitment of nursing staff A well-designed building can shorten the length of patient stay and reduce the need for pain killing drugsCASE STUDIES
Healthy Futures #3: Buildings and sustainable development
This publication contains case studies and resources and looks at the impact that the NHS can have on health, the environment and communities by building and refurbishing sustainability.
The North West Regional Development Agency
use their Integrated Appraisal Toolkit on all new NHS building projects.
Joinedupdesignforhealth at the Sorrell Foundation
is a demonstration project that explores ways in which the modernisation aims of the NHS can be supported by the UK’s world-class multidisciplinary design industry. At the heart of the project is the principle of creating client teams of front line medical staff to engage with the design team to explore ways of improving the patient experience. www.thesorrellfoundation.com
Salford SHIFT project
Within the NHS Salford SHIFT PFI project, potential partners were required to demonstrate within their tenders how they proposed to facilitate local economic development by encouraging: local supply chain partners; the use of social enterprises; and their commitment to local workforce development.
Sustainability South West
‘Future Foundations: building a better South West’ is a sustainable construction charter for the South West region. www.futurefoundations.co.uk
