Hospital Trust finalists for national awards for Net Zero achievements

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) is celebrating being a finalist for the Towards Net Zero category at the prestigious 2025 HSJ Awards.

This recognition highlights the exceptional work and innovation demonstrated by the team and is testament to the Trust’s progress towards delivering greener and more sustainable care for its communities.

These national industry awards attracted more than 1,250 entries and celebrate the best talent, commitment and impact across the NHS and wider healthcare landscape.

SaTH’s shortlisted entry, Driving sustainable change: A transformational Net Zero journey, was selected following a rigorous judging process and has been recognised as a standout example of excellence in healthcare delivery.

The Trust has made significant strides towards adapting its buildings and securing funding to work towards Net Zero by 2040 and reaching an 80% carbon footprint reduction between 2028 and 2032.

Significant decarbonisation and energy security works are now underway at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) to support the Trust’s ambitious sustainability programme. This work has been recognised by Salix who awarded SaTH £16.2m of funding, under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) - one of the largest awards in the country.

By unlocking multi-million pounds of additional investment, it will ensure clean energy can be provided to RSH from 2028 onwards. Several partners have contributed to the programme and the Trust’s success including National Grid, the Carbon Energy Fund (CEF), CPW and Vital Energi.

Every project, from major decarbonisation schemes to simple daily actions, plays a strategic role in creating a more sustainable and resilient healthcare system. This includes installation of EV charging points within car parks and new LED lighting to reduce energy consumption.

As well as upgrades and installations, the Trust has also implemented a number of green measures to support sustainability and reduce waste. Switching to wooden cutlery in its commercial outlets has eliminated approximately 225,000 single-use plastic items. Taking advantage of the Warp-It reuse network has saved the Trust nearly £600,000 and diverted over 93,000kg of waste from landfill since 2016.

Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive of SaTH, said: “We are honoured to be shortlisted for the Towards Net Zero Award at the HSJ Awards 2025. This is a proud moment for our team whose hard work and passion for sustainable healthcare have been extraordinary.

“We have implemented wide-ranging sustainability initiatives that are reducing our environmental footprint, improving the experience for patients and staff and achieving value for taxpayers. I’m so proud of the teams involved for all their hard work.

“Regardless of the outcome on the night, we’re excited to be finalists and to share our journey and learnings with others across the sector and celebrate what’s possible when we come together to deliver better care.”

HSJ Editor Alastair McLellan commented: “On behalf of all my colleagues, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate SaTH on being shortlisted as a finalist in the category of Towards Net Zero. All of the applications represent the ‘very best of the NHS’ and often leave our esteemed panel of judges with an impossible choice!

“Year on year the number of entrants continue to rise which I find so encouraging and is testament to the effect that HSJ Awards can have on improved staff culture and morale.

“We’re all very much looking forward to welcoming our finalists to the awards ceremony in November, celebrating their impressive achievements and jointly acknowledging our values of sharing best practice, improving patient outcomes and continuously driving for better service. But we never forget that the award ceremony is not just a celebration within a night, but a platform to recognise the hard work of all our NHS staff, all year round.”

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 20 November 2025 at Evolution London. The event celebrates excellence in healthcare, promotes best practice, and recognises the people and projects improving outcomes for patients nationwide.