THE LEAF, is becoming a familiar sight to patients and staff at Medway Maritime Hospital, as it transports vital information and specimens to various locations.
The all-eletcric hatchback has been recently leased to the Gillingham hospital trust by Beadles Nissan Eltham, in association with Automotive Leasing, in a five year deal.
The hospital, part of Medway NHS Foundation Trust in Kent, treats around 400,000 patients a year, and will use the LEAF to transport blood specimens, reports, pathology supplies and staff around its various sites, as well as information to and from local GP surgeries.
The LEAF is particularly suited to the Medway Hospital as the Trust has its own combined heat and power plant that is a sustainable and efficient way to generate electricity and heat simultaneously. This means it costs the hospital less than £150 a year to charge the LEAF.
Steve Wellard, Transport Manager at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘As a Trust we recognise that due to the scale and diversity of our operations we have the potential to make a significant impact upon the environment and we are committed to continually improving upon our environmental performance.
‘Our Nissan LEAF will be charged using the electricity generated from our newly commissioned combined heat and power plant which supplies low carbon electricity to the hospital. It’s a great addition to our transport fleet and is a visible sign that the Trust is serious about reducing emissions from our activities.’
Andrew Bullimore, Brand Manager at Beadles Nissan Eltham, says: ‘We’re delighted that the Trust is leasing a Nissan LEAF and we’re confident that it will be a useful and adaptable addition to its fleet. The LEAF truly cements Nissan’s place as an innovative, futuristic, thoughtful car manufacturer.’