AIREDALE NHS Foundation Trust has won recognition for its ‘green’ credentials.

It has been awarded a certificate of excellence for its so-called sustainability reporting.

“As an NHS organisation the trust has an obligation to work in a way that has a positive effect on the communities it serves,” said David Moss, managing director of AGH Solutions – which manages estates, facilities and procurement at Airedale Hospital.

“Sustainability means spending public money effectively, the smart and efficient use of natural resources and building healthy communities.”

The trust has a dedicated EcoAwaire group and a management plan which sets out goals to reduce its carbon footprint.

The plan includes recycling 96 per cent of ‘black bin bag’ waste, urging staff to use water bottles rather than plastic cups and reducing energy consumption across the Steeton site.

Its certificate of excellence was received from the Sustainable Development Unit, NHS Improvement and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Mr Moss added: “The trust has been proactive with its carbon reduction and in 2014 we replaced our 40-year-old boilers with a state-of-the-art combined heat and power engine and modern, energy-efficient boilers. Also, recently we have replaced 2,900 light fittings with sensor lighting.

“We’ve been able to reduce electricity use by five million KWH – this is a reduction of around 3,000 tonnes of carbon every year, which equates to a cut of over 34 per cent.

“We have also improved our building energy performance certificate to a C rating.

“This is quite an achievement with an estate approaching 50 years old and is indicative of the investment and energy performance achieved.”

In a further salute to the trust’s ‘green’ achievements, consultant anaesthetist and sustainability lead Dr Frank Swinton has been named a finalist in the NHS Sustainability Awards.

Dr Swinton, who recently gained a masters degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability in Sweden, said: “It’s wonderful to be recognised but the greatest joy for me is to be able to put my masters to work in an organisation that is taking sustainability really seriously and which is already thinking about the health of future generations.”