HEALTHCARE services in Notts are using their purchasing power to drive down the carbon footprints of suppliers.

NHS Nottingham City and NHS Notts County, whose combined budgets total around £1.5bn, have started asking suppliers of goods and services for details of their carbon emissions.

As well as making the primary care trusts greener, the practice will help to save money for vital healthcare services.

By choosing to deal with companies with lower carbon footprints they can protect themselves from price rises, because suppliers who use less energy and fuel have lower and more stable overheads.

The move is also a boost for local suppliers, because travelling a shorter distance to deliver products gives a better carbon footprint rating.

The new standards for purchasing and commissioning are among a series of measures being introduced by the two trusts after working with the Nottingham Energy Partnership on their carbon management programmes.

Jerome Baddley, sustainable development manager for the Nottingham Energy Partnership, said NHS Nottingham City's core carbon footprint was 2,600 tonnes a year – but when it takes into account the goods and services it buys, this rises to 34,500 tonnes a year.

For NHS Notts County its core footprint is 6,000 tonnes a year – compared to 290,000 including goods and services.

"Cutting the carbon emissions in the supply chain means that the NHS is less likely to see rising costs in its own supply chain as energy prices escalate," said Mr Baddely.

"The end result is an energy-secure, low carbon health sector which spends as little as possible on their bills.

"It is a difficult time for the NHS but we are trying to make it easier."

Nationally the NHS has set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 10 per cent by 2015.

Each of the Nottingham and Notts trusts has set a target for reducing the carbon intensity of their estates by 25% over five years.

Action plans were drawn up last year and are now being put into practice.

As part of the programme, 14 healthcare centres across the city and county are being fitted with solar panels to generate electricity and hot water.

These projects will continue to earn money through the Government's Feed-in-Tariffs programme – which gives guaranteed payments for electricity generated for 25 years.

NHS Notts County has also introduced a staff car-sharing scheme.

Both Trusts were finalists in the Green business awards recently, alongside multinational businesses like Mars, for their work on staff behaviour change.

They were also finalists in the Health Service Journal awards for their commitment to sustainability.

The trusts and Nottingham Energy Partnership have now been shortlisted for the British Medical Journal awards in the category of Sustainable Health Care, which will be announced on May 18.

Andrew Hall, director of partnerships at NHS Nottingham City, said: "We're really starting to see the results of our work with the energy partnership. We have put together a full and detailed carbon footprint for our organisation and now have a much greater understanding of energy usage.

"We are confident that this year we will have reduced our carbon footprint from the 2007 base rate by 14%.

"From a public health point of view we know an environment with less pollution and less carbon dioxide is better for the population's health."

A spokeswoman for NHS Notts County said: "We are delighted to be working with the Nottingham Energy Partnership in reducing our carbon footprint. This money is then redirected into patient care.

"We now have one of the highest recycling rates of NHS Trusts in the country. Our recycling rate has gone up from 30.5% to 85%.

"There has been an increase in staff car-sharing to and from work, which cuts travel costs and carbon emissions.

"We have invested in energy efficiency in buildings to cut utility bills, including renewable energy systems."

Small and medium-sized businesses in Notts are also being offered free one or two-day consultations with the Nottingham Energy Partnership on how to calculate and reduce carbon footprints.

For details, visit www.nottenergy.com.