On 13 July the Department for Transport and the Department for Health and Social Care announced the NHS Chargepoint Accelerator scheme. The scheme is an investment of £8 million from Office for Zero Emission Vehicles for the installation of on-site electric vehicle chargepoints to support electrification of the NHS fleet.

Investing in electrical chargepoints will deliver reductions in fuel and maintenance costs that can be redirected into front line care. This investment will deliver savings of £130 million for the NHS over the next 25 years, with an estimated average return on investment in just four years. The wider social benefits from reduce emissions and improved air quality are valued at a further £93million.

Oxford Health will use the funding to install nine chargepoints across five sites – Marlborough House Milton Keynes, Marlborough House Swindon, Wallingford Community Hospital, Warneford Hospital and Whiteleaf Hospital.

Sustainability Manager John Upham commented:

“We are really pleased to have been awarded funds as part of the NHS Chargepoint Accelerator scheme – this is a great initiative which will allow the Trust to continue to transfer the Directly operated fleet into Battery Electric alternatives ,helping to reduce air pollution and carbon emmisions.

“Our latest green plan includes the deployment of EV infrastructure  – this funding will support this key action.”

NHS Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Gormley said:

“The NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that reduce emissions and drive significant cost savings, all while improving patient care. This new £8 million investment, across 62 NHS Trusts and around 224 sites, supports the renewed commitment in the government’s 10 Year Health Plan to deliver a more sustainable NHS while also helping hospitals to save millions on fuel and maintenance costs and reducing air pollution. These savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.”