The health trust that runs hospitals in South Cumbria has been awarded £887,000 to install clean energy upgrades and help it cut its bills.
The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust is one of 82 NHS trusts that was successful in its bid for the national funding.
The health trusts, eight military sites and a prison will receive a share of £74 million from the Government.
The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Furness General Hospital in Barrow, Kendal’s Westmorland General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, said £542,000 will be used for additional LED lighting.
The remainder will be used for building management systems – essentially remote controllers that can switch equipment on and off or adjust things like temperature and airflow.
They bring together different building systems such as heating, cooling, lighting and security, so they can work more efficiently.
David Sanderson, the trust’s director of estates and facilities, said: “We warmly welcome this national funding. Reducing our energy bills means we can reinvest more directly into the services our patients rely on every day.
“This support helps us continue making improvements to our estate and strengthens our commitment to delivering safe, sustainable healthcare.
“The investment comes at an important time for the trust, as we have been working hard over the past year to modernise our facilities with LED lighting, significant solar projects and enhanced building management systems.
“The new funding enables us to build on this progress, increase our control and monitoring of energy use and further reduce our environmental impact for the benefit of both patients and staff.
“This funding helps us take another step towards the NHS’ ambition to become net zero.
“These upgrades will not only cut carbon emissions but also generate long term savings that can be directed back into frontline patient care.”
