Hospitals pledge to cut emissions

Hospitals in Lincolnshire have pledged to cut their carbon emissions by 30% over the next five years.

The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust aims to reduce the carbon emissions from its hospital through a series of projects, a spokesman said.

These include installing a new biomass boiler at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and new ways to heat water at Lincoln County Hospital.

The trust said it also wanted to look at greener transport and procurement.

'Huge benefits'

"The programme enables us to assess the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and develop a strategy which will help us to drastically reduce our carbon emissions," said the trust's environmental services manager Kevin Thoy.

"This will see huge benefits.

"Not only will this mean we will be operating as a more environmentally-friendly organisation but the changes should also mean we benefit financially, as the projects we are proposing should see our energy consumption fall by as much as 20% in some areas."

Mr Thoy said the trust also wanted to improve the efficiency of the boiler systems at Grantham and District Hospital.

The pledge forms part of the Carbon Trust's NHS Carbon Management Programme.