NHS Property Services reduced carbon emissions by 5.2 per cent in 2025/26, exceeding its annual target and continuing to drive decarbonisation across the NHS estate.
As one of the largest NHS landlords, responsible for around 10 per cent of the NHS estate, NHS Property Services plays a key role in decarbonising healthcare infrastructure. Its Green Plan and Net Zero Carbon Strategy set out a clear pathway to achieving Net Zero by 2040, aligned with national NHS targets.
Progress has been driven by targeted investment in energy efficiency, low carbon heating, renewable energy, and advanced building systems across community healthcare settings.
At Royal South Hants Hospital, NHS Property Services supported the installation of the NHS’s largest heat pump, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels and demonstrating that low carbon heating can be delivered at scale within complex hospital environments. At Torrington Place Health Centre in North London, modern, energy efficient systems have improved energy and carbon performance while maintaining operational resilience and patient safety. In Leeds, decarbonisation works at Kirkstall Health Centre have reduced energy demand, extended asset life, and improved internal environments for staff and patients.
Alongside delivery across its own estate, NHS Property Services is also supporting system wide progress towards Net Zero through collaboration and sector leadership, as well as embedding sustainability as standard across new and refurbished health centres, including:
- High performance building fabric and insulation.
- LED lighting and smart building management systems.
- On site renewable technologies, including solar PV.
- Energy efficient heating and ventilation.
- Electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
- Climate resilience and biodiversity measures.
These interventions are underpinned by robust data capture, performance monitoring, and detailed carbon reporting, supporting informed decision making and scalable carbon reduction initiatives across the NHS estate.
Nick Macdonald Smith, Net Zero carbon lead, NHS Property Services, said: “Exceeding our carbon reduction target shows what can be achieved when sustainability is embedded into estate strategy and delivery. From large scale heat pump installations to practical decarbonisation works in community health centres, we are demonstrating how Net Zero can be delivered in real, operational healthcare environments. The level of engagement in our recent sector webinar shows how committed NHS organisations are to sharing learning and accelerating progress together.”
