Sustainability

Cygnet Health Care is committed to being sustainable in all areas of its operations, including: Design, Planning and Development, Maintenance, Administration, Finance, Catering, Housekeeping & Clinical services.

Since its inception in 2006, the Cygnet Sustainability Programme is now fully integrated into each of our hospitals and care homes with update reports issued quarterly at each unit's individual Executive Board meeting.

Our two policies in this regard are:-

Sustainability Policy - For Cygnet Health Care, sustainability is about providing the best level of care for our patients and residents, whilst balancing environmental and social responsibility with the desire to deliver business profits.

Environmental Policy - For Cygnet Health Care, environmental sustainability is about minimising our environmental impacts through good resource efficiency and stewardship, and improving our local environments where the opportunity exists.

The Cygnet Sustainability Group's published goals for 2009 are:

  • Ensure that ALL units are adequately represented AND performing within the sustainability forum
  • Each unit to propose and implement at least two NEW "sustainability" initiatives
  • Ensure that for all new developments (and preferably all existing units) that the responsibility for sustainability be written into the employment contracts for the facilities and estates managers
  • Review the "sustainability" management strategy and implement a system of mentoring
  • Ensure compliance across all units for the collection of data and calculation of each unit's carbon footprint - Results to be published
  • Each unit to publish their own Travel Plan (to be updated yearly)

Sustainable Health Care Design, Specification, Planning and Development

Features include:

  • Turfed or microbiotic roofs, giving 30% extra thermal insulation and performance
  • New fully opening secure window solution, giving 100% ventilation
  • New boiler systems and controls - in particular split and building management systems: 20 - 30% greater efficiency
  • Geothermal Heating
  • Solar Power
  • Rain and waste water capture / reuse
  • Planting schemes including herbs and vegetables
  • Encouraging bio diversity within our landscaping designs
  • Interior and exterior open design changes
  • Sustainable building materials, including the use of polystyrene building blocks
  • Enhanced solar glazing performance and specification