University to work with Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Hospital Trust on sustainability

The Centre for Energy and the Environment (CEE) based at the University of Exeter has been awarded £25,000 by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Hospital Trust to research the prioritisation of sustainability measures at the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E).

Commenting on the award Tony Norton, Head of the Centre, said “The RD&E has recognised the Centre’s expertise in energy and the built environment and the track record of success we have in working with other public sector partners in the region. This project has links to other research we are doing in Exeter on district heating and we’re also excited about the potential for future research which could build on work we are currently doing about the adaptation of buildings to climate change and the impacts on human health.”

To conduct the research the Trust has joined the South West Energy and Environment Group, a long term public sector partnership co-ordinated by the Centre. Working closely with the Trust’s staff over the next six months, the Centre will assess current carbon emissions, the potential for energy reduction and efficiency measures and the contribution of low carbon and renewable energy technologies.

Tim Malone from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust said: “The NHS has rightly been tasked with reducing its carbon footprint and improving its environmental performance and indeed, as an urgent matter of public health good for current and future generations, would have a duty to do so. The RD&E wishes to play its full part in helping our South West region and the wider NHS develop new knowledge, by participating in research into the environmental challenges we all face. We must learn how to deliver healthcare in a sustainable manner and spread this knowledge to communities throughout the planet. This opportunity to work with a University of Exeter centre of excellence, which has an established record of practical success, is an exciting development that complements the broader partnership between the local NHS and the new University of Exeter Medical School (UEMS).”