Cardiff and Vale UHB completes Phase 1a of its Refit programme

Cardiff and Vale UHB is delighted to announce that it has recently completed the first phase of its Refit programme of work to reduce carbon emissions and wasted energy.

The Health Board declared a climate emergency in January 2020 and is working hard to achieve decarbonisation by 2030. It also published its sustainability action plan last year of which is ensuring the Health Board’s estate matures to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

To achieve this, the UHB’s Capital, Estates and Facilities teams have been undertaking a major programme of works, the Refit programme, to replace and improve parts of the estate in order to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

They have recently completed the first phase of this project; this phase alone included replacing over 7,000 lights across the Health Board with energy-saving LEDs, establishing five solar panel schemes across the estate (at the University Hospital of Wales, University Hospital Llandough, and Barry Hospital), replacing over 100 ventilation motors with high efficiency units, and installing over 500m of pipework insulation.

The Health Board has calculated that the work undertaken as part of this phase will reduce its carbon emissions by around 700 tonnes every year and produce annual savings of over £300,000.

Geoff Walsh, Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities, said, “The teams have done incredible work to complete this phase of the Refit programme. However, it is just the first phase so we know there is so much more to do. We have always driven the sustainability agenda forward and I am excited about our plans for continuing to do so in the future.”

Abigail Harris, Executive Director of Planning, said, “As we look to the future, it is clear that we in the health sector have a huge responsibility to care for the planet as well the people we serve. This work is integral to that and, as we continue to redevelop our estate, planetary health will be at the forefront of all of our minds.” Last year, Cardiff and Vale UHB published its sustainability action plan to achieve its goals of improving its environmental impact following a declaration of a climate emergency. It is now calling for staff members’ opinions and ideas on potential programmes of work.

As we continue our journey towards decarbonisation, we would welcome your views about what is important to you and areas in which we can try to improve. Please complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CAVUHBsustainability