NHS Fife Showcases Climate Action Projects During Ministerial Visit

Earlier this week, as part of Climate Week 2026, leaders in NHS Fife and Fife Council were pleased to welcome Ms Alison Thewliss MSP, Minister for Community Care, to Queen Margaret Hospital to showcase how climate action is supporting a more sustainable, resilient and person-centred healthcare system.

During the visit, the Minister toured the hospital’s solar photovoltaic (PV) installation, which provides around 140kW of renewable electricity generation capacity. The project forms part of NHS Fife’s wider programme to reduce carbon emissions, strengthen energy resilience and support the transition to a lower-carbon healthcare estate.

The visit also highlighted plans to expand on-site renewable energy generation in the future. Alongside the initial installation, further solar capacity has already been added elsewhere on the hospital campus, with additional roof space identified for future development.

Ms Thewliss also visited NHS Fife’s Ecotherapy Garden, a therapeutic outdoor space developed with Scottish Government funding as part of NHS Fife’s Greenspace Strategy. Created following engagement with staff and clinical teams, the garden transforms a previously underused area into a welcoming environment that supports patient care, recovery and wellbeing through connection with nature.

Features such as outdoor consultation areas, accessible planting and wheelchair-accessible raised beds ensure the space can be enjoyed by a wide range of patients and visitors.

Together, the projects demonstrate just some of the broad sustainability focused delivery across NHS Scotland. While initiatives such as solar power are helping reduce emissions and prepare sites for a low-carbon future, projects like the Ecotherapy Garden show how sustainability can also deliver wider benefits for health, wellbeing, biodiversity and local communities.

The visit provided an opportunity to see first-hand how NHS Fife is using its estate and assets in innovative ways to support both environmental and health outcomes, helping build resilience as part of delivering to support a future-fit healthcare system for Scotland.