The NHS and Frugal Funding
Since Theresa May’s decision in April to hold a snap General Election this year, the spotlight has been firmly placed on the issues that resonate with UK voters. The future direction of the NHS has proved to be a central point of debate for voters and a matter of concern for a broad demographic. No matter which side of the political spectrum you align with, there is no questioning the fact that the NHS is stretched beyond its financial limits and struggling to cope with an ever-ageing population. With question marks hovering over the future level of funding and structure of the NHS, the UK’s healthcare industry is looking at ways to cut running costs without negatively impacting patient care.
The Power of Healthcare
Every year the UK’s healthcare sector spends £400 million on energy alone; regulating hospital temperatures and the use of high-powered hospital equipment makes up a considerable proportion of healthcare energy consumption. However, it is known that much of the energy used within healthcare is wasted, which in turn wastes money that could be spent improving patient services. This presents questions as to why this energy is wasted and how the NHS can minimise it. Whilst efficiencies can be made through investing in upgraded equipment and a more energy efficient infrastructure, the long term saving in energy costs has to be weighed up against more immediate, pressing needs, such as staff shortages and training.
A Low-Cost Money-Saving Solution?
A more cost-effective and immediate solution to help the UK’s healthcare sector save thousands on its energy costs could be the use of voltage converters. If implemented on a large enough scale, DC – DC voltage converters could vastly increase energy efficiency at a fraction of the cost of investing in expensive new equipment. This type of voltage converter allows DC voltage to be very efficiently ‘stepped down’ to an appropriate level for the device being used, with minimum energy loss; this is particularly relevant in hospitals, where electronic devices range vastly in size and energy consumption. Given the sheer scale of electrical use in hospitals, (it is estimated that electricity accounts for over half of energy used in the UK healthcare industry) and the potential for saving huge sums on running costs, there is scope for installing voltage converters across the NHS.
The relatively low cost of installing the converters creates a viable option for the healthcare industry to make an immediate saving on its energy costs, and free up money to help doctors and nurses to provide the quality healthcare the NHS is world-renowned for.
The Future of Healthcare?
There are few issues that most voters can agree on. However, the future of a quality health service can be seen as beneficial to all, especially with companies like Day Webster offering nursing jobs for people in the healthcare sector. The NHS must adapt to create relatively small and inexpensive efficiencies on a national scale to help it to achieve its potential as a delivery of world-class healthcare.