Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help improve the energy efficiency of (a) NHS buildings and (b) other healthcare facilities.

In October 2020, NHS England set out its net zero carbon ambitions in ‘Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ National Health Service’, including improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. In October 2021, NHS England set out how it plans to tackle emissions from the National Health Service estate, including through its energy usage.

In 2019, NHS England deployed £5 million of light-emitting diode lighting across its estate through the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund to reduce energy demand and costs. Since its launch, the NHS is deploying a further £611 million of funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to support low carbon heating and energy efficiency projects in England. This includes £329 million from the most recent phase of the scheme, which will be delivered from 2022 to 2025. NHS England aims to publish further technical guidance to supports efforts for achieving energy efficient healthcare buildings across its estates.