Eco-friendly features built into new eye hospital

Pictures of a region's first gas-free hospital show measures that will make it green, an NHS trust says.

Sunderland's new eye hospital is under construction and is due to open next summer, replacing the ageing Sunderland Eye Infirmary.

It will be north-east England's only all-electric hospital, South Tyneside and Sunderland (STS) NHS Foundation Trust says, with more than 100 solar panels on its roof.

An energy centre - a separate building to help power the hospital - is almost complete and features a rooftop garden, which the trust hopes will support biodiversity and reduce the need to heat and cool the structure.

Fiona McKinley, STS trust's directorate manager for ophthalmology, said the new building would make "a world of difference".

"A huge part of that will be the green features it has, which will not only mean it is a sustainable site which reduces our emissions and keeps running costs down, but will make it a more comfortable environment to work in," she said.

The hospital is part of the Riverside Sunderland development in the city centre.

Other environmentally friendly features planned include air source heat pumps to heat and cool the building and more than 100 electric charging points for vehicles.

The trust said work to recycle old equipment and furniture which is not needed from the current Queen Alexandra Road site was also under way.

The new building is now wrapped in protective sheeting while windows are installed, making the building watertight.

Once open, the building will offer treatment through its emergency department and there will also be an out-patient unit for children.

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