Priory has completed the first phase of an £11 million green investment programme

Priory, the UK largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care, has completed the first phase of an £11 million green investment programme. 
 
The first installation took place on Thursday (18 April) at Priory Hospital Barnt Green in Birmingham, where new solar panels will prevent 14 tonnes of carbon being emitted at the site each year.

The £100,000 project will reduce annual electricity consumption by 30% and has been hailed as a “major step” on the organisation’s journey towards net zero. 
 
It forms part of the wider Priory Green initiative, which will see similar developments take place across 80 hospitals and care homes throughout the UK over the next two years, with electricity bills set to reduce by £2 million per year as a result. 
 
Priory Hospital Barnt Green is a purpose-built hospital, located in Lickey Hills Country Park, 10 miles south of Birmingham, which includes inpatient wards and an outpatient centre. 
 
The hospital supports more than 300 people per year with a range of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as offering specialist support for trauma related conditions.

Featuring Phil Bytheway, Priory Director of Estates, Philipp Schulte-Noelle, Median Chief Operating Officer, and Rob Cheetham, Hospital Director at Priory Hospital Barnt Green

Rob Cheetham, hospital director at Priory Hospital Barnt Green, said: “To be able to deliver solar powered treatment to our patients is a fantastic step towards carbon neutral healthcare.  
 
“The patients we support here are treated in a calming, therapeutic environment, surrounded by woodland. Part of that therapeutic environment is reassuring our patients that we’re protecting our natural environment too.”  
 
Phil Bytheway, director of estates at Priory, said: “This is a major step on our journey towards net zero. In the short term, our aim is to reduce our carbon footprint by 25% by 2025. This is the start of an £11m investment in solar power to help us achieve that aim.  
 
“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by implementing energy-efficient practices, using renewable energy sources, reducing consumption and limiting waste.”  
 
ENDS

Contact: [email protected]

About Priory and MEDIAN

Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.

Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 290 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 15 facilities and 2,100 beds caring for 11,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees across the group.