Ensuring that patients, visitors and staff travel safely and sustainably to hospitals is no mean feat but that’s exactly what University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust – winner of the 2018 Fleet Heroes Smart Travel Hero accolade – did.

L-R: Amanda Stretton presents Andrea Booth and Maria Stringer of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust with the Smarter Travel Hero award, accompanied by Emma Forster of GMP Drivercare

With more than 12,500 staff and over a million patients and visitors flowing through its doors, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has its work cut out when it comes to ensure eco-friendly travel.

But thanks to hard work and dedication from its team – including Andrea Booth, transport and sustainability officer, and Maria Stringer, staff benefits co-ordinator – the Trust has seen some dramatic reductions when it comes to its carbon footprint.

Key to its work has been the introduction of a variety of different initiatives to promote eco-friendly travel, such as offering incentives for staff that car share or choose to walk and cycle to work, rather than drive.

A Travel Plan is also created each year, which informs people of the most effective and efficient ways of travelling between the Trust’s hospitals, whilst also giving a breakdown of how staff currently make their way to work.

The Travel Plan constantly evolves as it looks to get larger numbers of staff out of cars and into alternative means of transport, such as buses or even e-bikes, which have been introduced at the Royal Derby Hospital.

The Trust also only offers ULEVs on its lease car schemes, has several charging points on its sites and has allocated Clean Air Zones around all of them.

The 2018 Fleet Heroes award – which saw the Trust nominated by Emma Forster, account executive at GMP Drivercare – has not only provided excellent recognition for the Trust’s initiatives and for its travel plan, but it’s also given increased incentive for the Trust to cut its carbon footprint further.

Andrea Booth explains: “By winning this award, it has highlighted and reignited our passion for the Trust to become a fully sustainable organisation to support the health and wellbeing of our patients, our staff and our communities.”

Going forwards, the Travel Plan will evolve following the merger between the Trust and Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will see the latter’s sites in Burton, Lichfield and Tamworth incorporated.

The combined Trust will also expand even wider in the future, so this will have an effect on its business travel and services.

Andrea Booth has also called for wider industry changes in order to make eco-friendly travel more feasible, including extra electric charging points in working environments and more readily available information about grants for installation of points within the workplace, along with better bus service connections and cycle awareness for drivers and cyclists and safer cycle routes.

2019 Fleet Heroes Awards and Conference:

Judging for this year’s Fleet Heroes Awards has now closed but organisations, both large and small, can still sign up to attend the Conference, which will spotlight the latest fleet and transport industry eco developments.

Taking place on the afternoon of 28 November 2019 at the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square – followed later that day by the Fleet Heroes Awards – the conference bring together transport experts, prominent businesses and government representatives, and includes a mix of informative presentations and lively discussions. Conference bookings are open now.