Portsmouth Hospital drives innovation with new electric vehicles for renal services
Care is being brought into people’s homes thanks to a new fleet of cars
A new fleet of electric vehicles is helping to transform the way renal care is given to patients across the Portsmouth area.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust’s (PHU) Renal department has introduced four electric vehicles as part of an in-house assisted peritoneal dialysis (PD) service, helping deliver care closer to patients' homes while reducing costs and carbon emissions.
Since early July, the vehicles have been used by renal support staff who visit patients at home to assist with peritoneal dialysis treatment. The cars are also being used to collect blood samples from hospitals across the region, reducing the need for costly taxi transportation services, with the hospital covering the city and much of the surrounding towns and villages.
The new approach is expected to save the trust around £280,000 each year, it said, through reducing external service costs, minimising staff mileage expenses and cutting transport costs associated with blood sample collection.
Melanie Teasdale, renal and transplantation care group manager at PHU, said: “We’ve seen a range of benefits since bringing the assisted PD service in-house. Our teams can support patients in their homes while also carrying out other essential tasks. The introduction of electric vehicles has enabled us to reduce travel costs, lower our carbon footprint, and make better use of our resources.”
Alongside the financial benefits, the project supports the trust's wider commitment to sustainability. The Trust’s renal and sustainability teams worked closely to explore opportunities to reduce carbon emissions through fewer transport journey and the adoption of electric cars.
Head of sustainability and energy for the trust, Trevor Mose, said: “The renal service is leading the way and delivers our first step towards electrifying our vehicle fleet with several more vehicles joining this year. These cars reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon footprint and save money that supports core services.”
As healthcare organisations continue to explore greener ways of delivering services, PHU's innovative approach demonstrates how sustainability, efficiency and patient care can work hand in hand.