Home > Headquarters Move – leading to increased Public Transport Use
Headquarters Move – leading to increased Public Transport Use
Javascript is required to view this map.
By: Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust
Less people travelling to work by car, reduction in obesity, good publicity, happier staff...
Unknown at present. The more energy efficient building should show cost savings in terms of reduced electricity, gas and water bills but a full year’s worth of data will be required to accurately show this. Staff business travel claims should also be reduced but again more data is required.
Unknown at present but should be visible in the Trust’s end of year carbon footprint which will be calculated in May/June 2011.
This NHS Trust used to be based at 4 old hospital sites, and during several reviews it was found that this was no longer satisfactory for a variety of reasons. The move to a centralised headquarter location would also .present a range of fantastic opportunities to improve the Trust’s carbon and sustainability performance including:
Operating from a more energy efficient building with features including solar panels, rainwater harvesting, lighting on sensors, automatic shut-down equipment for information technology, multifunction printing devices and combined hot and cold water points;
On the back of this behaviour change could be targeted to encourage staff to act in a more environmentally friendly way, for example by increasing recycling rates, reducing printing levels and encouraging equipment to be turned-off when not in use;
Reduce the need for staff business travel as many meetings could now take place in headquarters, that previously required staff travel between sites;
Encourage staff to use public transport or active travel to get to and from work. The new site has 7 car parking spaces which need to be booked in advance. It is within was within easy walking distance of a major South London transport hub providing train, tube, tram and bus links.
A range of interventions were developed to make the transition as easy as possible and also to support staff to travel sustainably.
Travel Planners available before the move
Travel Map for Headquarters
1:1 with line-managers available to all staff who wished to discuss the move
Financial support available to cover the cost (for 2years) of the difference between existing travel costs and costs incurred in travel to headquarters
Dr. Bike Sessions provided at headquarters
Staff pool bikes provided at headquarters
Trust signed up to the Cycle Guarantee Scheme
Cycling mileage allowance of 27.9p a mile.
NHS Sutton and Merton, 120 The Broadway, Wimbledon, SW19 1RH
The main driver behind the behind the move was to provide better healthcare closer to home for our patients. A secondary benefit was to have all members of staff together in one building, increasing the opportunities for meetings at a single building and increasing the energy efficiency of the NHS Trusts buildings.
SWELTRAC - Questionnaire and funding for maps of local area with travel links.
Sutton and Merton Council’s– helped provide information for the maps, cycle parking advice, pool bikes (hired on a short term loan from Sutton council), Dr Bike sessions and personal travel planners.
Intend to monitor over time, by doing a travel survey (and resultant carbon footprint) every year going forward. To undertake a Good Corporate Citizen Model Return every year, which has a section on Travel.
01/03/2010
completed
There were small internal articles, advertising bike racks, loan bikes, promoting cycling – i.e. mileage allowance of 27.9p a mile
£0
A questionnaire was developed with SWELTRAC, to help calculate carbon footprint, and to look at the difference in travel habits the move would make and how people felt about it.
Also with the aid of SWELTRAC, maps were printed of the new site which were put on everyone’s desk and made available on the intranet.
The staff intranet is being developed to contain more information about greener travel options and initiatives which include:
• Travel Planners available before the move
• Travel Map for Headquarters
• 1:1 with line-managers available to all staff who wished to discuss the move
• Financial support available to cover the cost (for 2years) of the difference between existing travel costs and costs incurred in travel to headquarters
• Dr. Bike Sessions provided at headquarters
• Staff pool bikes provided at headquarters
• Trust signed up to the Cycle Guarantee Scheme
• Cycling mileage allowance of 27.9p a mile.
Staff were initially concerned about the lack of parking and its subsequent knock on their travel patterns. Concerns mainly centred on a perceived increasing in travelling costs and travelling time, although many of these concerns proved to be unfounded.
There were also issues with the Wimbledon Oyster card readers, especially if people were not used to using them, and potentially being overcharged. This led to discussions with TfL.
Neil Kimpton, Carbon Manager, (Support Services Partnership, South West London), neil.kimpton@swlondonssp.nhs.uk, 020 8687 4524
