The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 22
The Princess Alexandra Hospitals NHS
The Princess Alexandra Hospitals NHS
Trust Achieves 4,000kg Waste
Trust Achieves 4,000kg Waste
ReductionAnnually
Annually
by Switching
to
Reduction
by Switching
to
ReusableMedical
Medical
Hollowware
Reusable
Hollowware
Concerned with the amount of waste generated from single-use
medical hollowware, the Decontamination and Sterile Services Manager
at Harlow hospital, part of The Princess Alexandra Hospitals NHS Trust,
was keen to explore the sustainability and 昀椀nancial bene昀椀ts of switching
from single-use medical hollowware to reusable.
In October 2021, he reached out to Warwick SASCo Ltd, the supplier of
reusable medical hollowware on the NHS Supply Chain framework, for
support.
A six-month project ensued involving extensive data analysis, product
sample trials and stakeholder engagement. This resulted in a switch
to reusable medical hollowware, via the NHS Supply Chain framework
agreement, in April 2022. To date, the switch has delivered a 4,000kg
reduction in waste and a £10,000 saving for the trust annually.
Objectives
• To align to NHS England’s Net Zero strategy, by reducing the amount
of plastic waste generated from single-use hollowware, by switching
to a more sustainable alternative. See our Useful Links section to
read more about the strategy.
• To explore the 昀椀nancial bene昀椀ts of switching to reusable
hollowware, via the NHS Supply Chain framework agreement,
with the aim of achieving additional savings for the trust.
“Listening to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)
prompted me to explore the possibility of plastic reduction
within the trust and I soon identi昀椀ed environmental and
昀椀nancial bene昀椀ts of switching from single use to reusable
medical hollowware. Without working closely with key trust
departments, the smooth transition and successful outcomes
wouldn’t have been possible.
Solutions
• In addition to reaching out to the Commercial Manager from
Warwick SASCo Ltd, support was obtained from key departments
within
• the trust including procurement, estates, waste management
and theatres, who provided data on product usage, waste disposal
and water consumption (for reusable items processed through the
washer disinfectors).
Anthony Heard, Sterile Services Manager,
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust ”
To align to NHS England’s Net Zero stra
Challenges
• Establishing what data was needed, and where to access it, to
ensure that all associated costs were captured for both single-use
and reusable hollowware.
• Ensuring that the trust had the capacity to decontaminate the
reusable items with the three washer disinfectors that they had
available.
• The data highlighted that Harlow hospital, which runs 5 days a
week, was using 65,000 single-use items (kidney dishes, gallipots
etc) annually. Switching to reusable items equated to only 15
additional wash loads per week, which was within capacity for the
3 washer disinfectors on site.
• Reusable hollowware, unlike single-use products, need to be
• The supplier presented the sustainability 昀椀gures to the CSSD who
reprocessed / cleaned before resterilisation after each use.
agreed that the environmental bene昀椀ts of switching to reusable
ToCentral
alignSterile
to NHS
Netwere
Zero
strategy,hollowware
by reducing
the amount
of to conduct 15 extra washes
The• wider
SupplyEngland’s
Department (CSSD)
initially
vastly outweighed
the need
concerned about the impact to existing workload due to the
per week.
THE
SEPTEMBER 2020
ISSUE NO. 360
ISSN 0000-000X
additional
washes that would be required.
THE
THE
•
The Operating Theatre Journal
To align to NHS England’s Net Zero strategy, by reducing the amount of
SEPTEMBER 2020
SEPTEMBER 2020
ISSUE NO. 360
ISSUE NO. 360
ISSN 0000-000X
ISSN 0000-000X
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