Mapping the Evidence on Care Home Decarbonisation: A Scoping Review Revealing Fragmented Progress and Key Implementation Gaps

Care homes are an energy-intensive component of the health and social care sector, with high demands on heating, lighting, laundry, catering and medical technologies. This constant energy use makes care homes a notable contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonising care homes presents an opportunity to reduce emissions, operational costs, and deliver health co-benefits by improving air quality and thermal comfort. This scoping review mapped the international evidence on decarbonisation in care homes to inform sustainable practice and policy development. Guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, seven databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, IEEE, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched. Eligible studies included care home facilities, residents or staff with data managed in Covidence and extracted using the “The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard Inventory Accounting”. A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was concentrated around Scope 2 emissions, through efforts to monitor and reduce electricity use, while Scope 1 (facility emissions) and Scope 3 (supply chain emissions) remain comparatively underexplored. Evidence was fragmented and revealed risk aversion and care quality concerns related to adopting low-carbon technologies, as well as a growing interest in digital technologies and sustainable food procurement. Care homes should be prioritised within net zero healthcare frameworks, with targeted research, policy guidance, and investment to support decarbonisation.