EMSOL, a leading British manufacturer of precision air quality monitoring technology serving the global market, partnered with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wessex Procurement Ltd to tackle vehicle emissions around hospital sites. Drawing on our experience working with major NHS trusts, construction firms like Morgan Sindall, and infrastructure projects including HS2, we deployed our real-time monitoring and analytics platform to identify pollution sources and drive targeted emission reductions.
Through our precision monitoring technology and data-driven insights, we enabled the trust to optimise their logistics operations, successfully reducing delivery vehicles by 30% and achieving a projected annual CO₂ reduction of 972kg while improving air quality for patients, staff, and visitors.
This case study demonstrates how our monitoring platform transforms complex pollution data into actionable insights that deliver measurable environmental and operational benefits for healthcare organisations committed to their Green Plan goals.
The Challenge
When Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wessex Procurement Ltd approached EMSOL, they faced a common challenge across the NHS: balancing sustainability commitments with critical operational needs. Vehicle emissions, particularly Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), were creating air quality concerns in what should be a healing environment.
As a British manufacturer specialising in precision air quality monitoring for global markets, EMSOL brought proven expertise from deployments across major NHS trusts, construction firms like Morgan Sindall, and infrastructure projects including HS2. We understood that healthcare environments require particularly sensitive monitoring approaches.
Our challenge was to deploy our monitoring technology at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester to:
- Identify specific vehicles causing pollution spikes
- Quantify the relationship between delivery patterns and air quality
- Provide actionable data to drive emission reduction strategies
EMSOL’s precision monitoring and camera analytics were positioned to identify specific delivery vehicles causing spikes in pollutants such as NO₂ and particulate matter (PM), which can be directly associated with CO₂ emissions. This real-time visibility would enable the trust to work with NHS Supply Chain to explore targeted solutions.
EMSOL’s Solution Approach
We deployed our comprehensive monitoring platform combining:
Real-time air quality sensors measuring NO₂, PM2.5, PM10, and other key pollutants with precision accuracy that has made us a trusted partner across major UK projects.
Smart camera analytics providing visual evidence of pollution events, linking specific vehicles to emission spikes while maintaining GDPR compliance.
Data analytics platform transforming complex pollution data into clear, actionable insights that stakeholders could immediately understand and act upon.
Our monitoring revealed clear correlations between delivery patterns and air quality, providing the evidence base needed for NHS Supply Chain’s Network Optimisation team to develop targeted interventions. The data showed that delivery clustering on certain days created unnecessary pollution peaks that could be eliminated through smarter scheduling.
Implementation Process
EMSOL supported a collaborative approach between Wessex Procurement and NHS Supply Chain, providing continuous monitoring data throughout the optimisation process:
Planning and collaboration (September 2024): Our monitoring data informed initial discussions between NHS Supply Chain’s Network Optimisation team and Wessex Procurement leads, providing baseline pollution measurements and identifying peak emission periods.
Hospital zoning for smarter distribution: EMSOL’s data helped map pollution patterns across different hospital zones, enabling Wessex Procurement to redesign requisition point scheduling. Our analytics showed how concentrated deliveries in specific areas created localised pollution hotspots.
Optimised delivery scheduling: Our platform tracked the impact of spreading deliveries more evenly across the week. Previously, peak delivery days saw up to 34 cages arriving (requiring second vehicles), while quieter days had as few as 12 cages. EMSOL’s monitoring demonstrated how this imbalance directly correlated with air quality deterioration.
Implementation and monitoring (October 2024): We provided continuous monitoring throughout the transition, tracking air quality improvements in real-time and validating the effectiveness of the new delivery patterns.
Ongoing measurement: EMSOL’s platform continues monitoring long-term impacts, ensuring sustained benefits and identifying further optimisation opportunities.
“EMSOL’s precision monitoring and camera analytics to identify specific delivery vehicles causing spikes in pollutants such as NO₂ and particulate matter (PM), which can be directly associated with CO₂.”
The Results EMSOL Enabled
Our monitoring platform captured significant improvements during the first three months:
Streamlined deliveries and efficiency gains
- Requisition point delivery days reduced from 547 to 97 per month (82% reduction)
- Vehicle deliveries cut from 59 to 41 per month
- 338 fewer cage movements recorded
- No detriment to stock availability at point of use
Quantified emissions and air quality improvements
- Projected annual CO₂ reduction of 972kg
- NHS Supply Chain ‘balance loads’ reduced by 50%
- Measurable improvements in NO₂ and particulate matter levels around delivery areas
- Reduced health risks for patients, staff, and visitors
Additional benefits captured by our monitoring
- Lower risk of health and safety incidents
- Repurposed storage space reducing stock-holding pressures
- More manageable delivery schedules for hospital staff
“Fewer deliveries means our patients, visitors and staff are breathing cleaner air around the hospital. This initiative shows the power to deliver real benefits to everyone by working together.” Adam Tewkesbury, Head of Sustainability at Hampshire Hospitals
“Supporting the NHS reach net zero by 2045 is crucial and one of NHS Supply Chain’s key goals. The success of this project demonstrates how exploring simple changes to ordering and delivery patterns can bring big benefits to air quality, for everyone’s benefit.” Heidi Barnard, Head of Sustainability at NHS Supply Chain
EMSOL’s Broader Impact
This project exemplifies how EMSOL’s British-manufactured precision monitoring technology delivers global-standard results in the UK market. Our experience across diverse sectors – from NHS trusts to major construction firms like Morgan Sindall and infrastructure projects like HS2 – enables us to adapt our platform to each organisation’s specific needs.
“To think green and be green in however small a contribution you make is a refreshing responsibility at a time where focus may be elsewhere. It takes courage and ambition but as soon as more people recognise that you can still achieve significant productivity improvement while maintaining a green identity then we begin to protect what is most important, that is our future.” Ian Steggles, Wessex Procurement
Next Steps with EMSOL
Building on this success, EMSOL continues expanding our monitoring and analytics support:
Ongoing monitoring: Our platform provides continuous air quality assessment, tracking long-term project impacts and setting new emission reduction targets.
Expansion opportunities: Plans are underway to apply our monitoring approach at other hospital sites, including Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.
Supply chain engagement: We’re working with additional suppliers to explore wider emission reduction opportunities across the trust’s operations.
Scalable approach: EMSOL’s monitoring methodology can be replicated across other NHS trusts seeking to combine operational efficiency with environmental responsibility.
“This project demonstrates that targeted monitoring, through real-world measurement of air quality linked to direct causes, is a workable and scalable approach to engaging numerous partners in helping to reduce or eliminate emissions. This is a significant first step for a targeted and straightforward approach to reduce air and noise pollution, and we are proud to support the NHS in delivering this measurable change.” Freddie Talberg, CEO, EMSOL
About EMSOL: We are a British manufacturer of leading precision air quality monitoring technology serving the global market. In the UK, we work with major NHS trusts, construction firms like Morgan Sindall, and infrastructure projects including HS2, providing real-time monitoring and analytics that transform complex pollution data into actionable insights for sustainable operations.
