Clinical staff lead the way in NHS sustainability
Clinical teams from South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) have taken part in a ‘Green Team’ competition, supported by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH).
The Green Team Competition is a clinical leadership and engagement programme for NHS Organisations wishing to improve the sustainability of their service. Six teams from SWFT have taken part in this important initiative and are already embedding some innovative practices which support environmental, financial, and social sustainability.
A range of clinical teams came forward to be involved, here is an outline of the projects:
- Physiotherapy – developing an exercise programme for care home residents to improve mobility and balance, taking a preventative approach to support their well-being and reduce referrals.
- Care of the Elderly – reducing unnecessary blood tests to reduce waste and expenses, as well as improve patient experience.
- Dermatology – replacing the use of single-use items for low carbon alternatives for appropriate surgical procedures.
- Diabetes – encouraging pen recycling and switching to reusable Smart Pens amongst eligible patients.
- Neuro-rehabilitation – change in culture regarding the disposal of unused continence products, with the aim of reducing waste.
- Pharmacy – reduce wastage by changing working practices to ensure medicines are not unnecessarily dispensed.
The ‘Green Team’ competition has enabled teams to focus on how they can embed these changes and initiatives into their practices, and they are already seeing positive outcomes as a result.
All projects were reviewed by a judging panel made up of Dr Charles Asthon - Chief Medical Officer at SWFT, Sophie Gilkes – Chief Strategy Officer at SWFT and Siobhan Parslow-Williams, Quality Improvement Education Lead, CSH. Judges reviewed the projects against the ‘triple bottom line’ of sustainable value - reducing environmental harm, reducing financial waste, and adding clinical and social value.
After a thorough judging process the team that was awarded the Green Team winner was: Care of the Elderly
Siobhan Parslow-Williams, Quality Improvement Education Lead, CSH: “Climate change poses the biggest public health challenge of our lifetime but also presents opportunities to improve our health systems to meet this demands so that services are sustainable now and in the future. It fantastic to see SWFT are leading the way in sustainable healthcare and helping us reach Net Zero in the NHS. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the sustainable quality improvement projects that have been implemented and the impact this is having on sustainable value.”
Dr Charles Ashton, Chief Medical Officer: “It is fantastic that clinicians from across the organisation are committed to embedding environmental and sustainable practices into their areas of work. As a large organisation, we recognise the role we and the wider NHS, need to play in tackling the climate crisis and clinical and operational involvement is key to this.”
Sophie Gilkes, Chief Strategy Officer: “All the projects we have seen as part of this competition are brilliant examples of how big or small changes can make an impact. The enthusiasm shown by the teams is great, and I look forward to working with more teams across the organisation to embed sustainable practices.’
The potential annual saving from the projects combined is £95,963 and 7,032 kg CO2e. This is the same amount as 281 mature trees absorb on average per year and 20,768 miles in an average car (32 return trips between South Warwickshire and Glasgow).
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