SAVINGS of almost £1 million have been made by the trust which runs community nursing and mental health services in Worcestershire.

The NHS has published data which outlines how much trusts spend on buildings, including energy and water consumption as well as on-going maintenance, as part of a national initiative to increase transparency and encourage further efficiency savings.

Last year Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust launched its SMARTER programme which aims to support the organisation in identifying money saving schemes.

The trust’s Facilities and Estates team has revealed savings of £930,000 by implementing a range of initiatives including saving more than £40,000 by replacing boilers, improving insulation and improving lighting systems.

Introducing better recycling and cleaning methods has saved £244,000, £15,000 has been cut by reducing the cost of disposing of clinical and domestic waste, while more than £570,000 of savings came from reducing the amount of buildings used by the trust.

Mark Fenton, the trust’s head of estates and facilities management, said: “The trust has a largely ageing estate which therefore generates higher than average maintenance and running costs.

“Nevertheless, the trust allocates substantial funding each year to help maintain high quality environments for patients.

“We are committed to looking for ways to further reduce our estate related costs in ways which do not have a negative impact on patient care and on building on the savings identified and delivered so far.”