Reviewing the sustainability of existing healthcare facilities

The National Health Services (NHS) is currently undertaking its largest hospital building programme with £7 billion worth of major hospital projects in the pipeline. This is happening at a time when global warming, climate change and environmental pollution have become major considerations during the design process. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported that hospitals tend to comprise the key characteristics of a hotel, a warehouse and a factory all at the same time, which makes their energy consumption extremely high, although the energy consumption does vary considerably from one facility to another. There are standards and guidelines for designing new healthcare facilities such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Green Guide to Health Construction (GGHC). These standards do not apply to existing healthcare facilities. Comparing today's NHS building stock, it wont be incorrect to say that, most of the facilities used by NHS are built in 20th century operating in 21st century. This is a major problem associated with theses facilities, it is reported that 30% of energy consumed by these facilities is wasted. This work is based on a literature review which explores the government actions, policies, and available standards for healthcare facilities.