NHS England has received a £4m grant to roll out hundreds of new EV charging sockets thanks to the extension of the Department for Transport (DfT) NHS Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme.
The expansion builds on government funding to provide more than 1,000 EV charging sockets to power electric ambulances and vehicles, saving millions of dollars in maintenance and fuel costs and allowing investment directly into front-line healthcare.
The announcement brings the total government investment in NHS charging infrastructure to £22m, following the Department of Health and Social Care’s £10m funding to NHS trusts last month and the DfT’s £8m funding last year.
The funding will help the NHS modernize some of its 20,000-strong fleet of medical vehicles, helping to decarbonise 460 million miles traveled each year.
Build a more efficient and modern healthcare system
The money saved will be reinvested to build on the progress made and achieve the government’s goal of a more efficient and modern healthcare system.
This includes providing 5 million additional bookings last year and reducing waiting lists by 330,000 people from July 2024 onwards. This is the lowest level in three years.
Keir Mather, Minister of Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation, explained: “Investing in EV charging sockets for NHS vehicles will save the health sector millions of dollars and help clean up the equivalent of 460 million miles of journeys across England. This is good for taxpayers, patients and communities.”
“With over 116,000 public chargers currently installed on UK roads, our investment is transforming the UK’s public charging network and enabling more drivers to switch to electric vehicles with confidence.”
How the proliferation of EV charging sockets has created a more productive fleet of vehicles
To see first-hand how funding for EV charging sockets is helping to transform NHS services, Keir Mather visited the London Ambulance Service headquarters in Waterloo yesterday to see how government investment is supporting the installation of chargers across the fleet.
The Government is providing record funding to rebuild the NHS and make it fit for the future. By eliminating wasteful spending and leveraging technology, the health service is exceeding its ambitious target of 2% annual productivity growth.
According to the latest NHS data, productivity increased by 2.8% between April and October 2025 compared to the previous year.
Chris Gormley, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, said: “Moving to electric vehicles will help fit the NHS for the future, providing faster response to patients and improving air quality around hospitals.”
“Zero-emission vehicles are expected to save the NHS tens of millions of dollars each year, which can be reinvested directly into frontline patient care.”
Investing in green initiatives such as the electrification of NHS vehicles will enable savings for health services and help secure value for taxpayers for years to come.
UK public charging network continues to proliferate
New public charger figures released by the DfT this week show there are now 116,052 public EV chargers installed across the UK.
This new updated data provides a more accurate picture of the UK’s charging capacity by reporting individual EV chargers, which are typically used for a single vehicle, rather than charging equipment, which may contain multiple chargers. This provides the strongest estimate to date of how many vehicles can be charged simultaneously.
These new figures, based on industry estimates, suggest there are now significantly more EV chargers than fuel pumps across the UK.
The Government is providing more funding than ever for the rollout of EV charging sockets, including £400m for local authorities to provide 100,000 charging points, plus an extra £600m announced last year.
“As EV charging infrastructure develops in the UK and EV adoption becomes more widespread, we will help new and prospective EV drivers clearly understand the charging options available to them,” said Jade Edwards, Head of Insights at Zapmap.
Making EV ownership a reality
Today’s announcement follows this week’s announcement that renters, landlords and businesses will now be able to claim almost half the cost of installing an EV charger, saving them up to £500.
The extension of the Home and Workplace Grant scheme will reduce installation costs for drivers, making home charging available for just 2p per mile, making EV ownership possible for more drivers and putting more money in people’s pockets.
The Government is also supporting drivers to go electric by reducing upfront costs through the Electric Vehicle Grant, which offers discounts of up to £3,750 on dozens of EVs and has helped more than 65,000 drivers go electric.
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