How the Green Deal could benefit GP premises
The Green Deal is a new finance mechanism that could offer practices an alternative to traditional methods of financing refurbishments to surgeries and other buildings whilst providing energy savings, a reduced carbon footprint and a reduction in operational expenditure.
Sonia Roschnik, operations director at the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, confirms CCGs will be required to embed sustainability, reduce CO2 and, in doing so, improve public health. ‘Any kind of initiative like this, that might help clinical commissioning groups to achieve these goals should be explored,’ she advises.
The applicability of the Green Deal to GPs was reinforced by a spokesperson from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) who advised that ‘the government would encourage everybody, including GPs and clinical commissioning groups, to seriously consider taking out a Green Deal as there are a number of significant benefits’.
When does the Green Deal start?
The first Green Deal accredited assessors are expected to begin operating from October 2012, although the actual financing and therefore installation of recommended measures cannot begin before January 2013.
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