Five healthcare trusts across England have come together to form the Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance, in a display of commitment towards a greener and more sustainable NHS.
University College London Hospitals (UCLH), University Hospitals Sussex, Cambridge University Hospitals, Imperial College Healthcare and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will cooperate to help reduce waste and carbon emissions.
In a joint statement, the trusts said: “Our collaborative group of NHS trusts aims to reduce single-use medical equipment and consumables, reusing wherever it is clinically feasible and appropriate to do so.
“This will be reflected in our evaluation criteria for selecting products and suppliers through the procurement process, and through building skills, knowledge, and processes in our Trust to enable this transition.”
Professor Mahmood Butta, a consultant ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon and clinical lead for environmental sustainability at University Hospitals Sussex, is spearheading the alliance.
He said: “The NHS in England generates a staggering 440 tonnes of medical waste every day. While discarding items has become commonplace, our research and analysis reveals that this is often unnecessary and perpetuated by misconceptions about infection risk.
"By forming this alliance, we advocate for a shift towards using reusable products whenever safe to do so, and will always use suppliers that value sustainability. We encourage others in the NHS to join us."
The alliance is focusing on three key areas of change:
Joe Burton, the Sustainability Transformation Project Lead at UCLH, said: “Our ambition is that this alliance signals to suppliers a shared desire to change the way that trusts procure single-use items in favour of reusables, supporting the national objective for the NHS to be net zero by 2045.
“We have multiple projects underway at UCLH to reduce our use of single-use items and continue to share our progress with the alliance.”
Image credit: iStock
![[Left to right] Prof. Ronan Killeen - Consultant Radiologist at St. Vincent's Private Hospital, Andy Wilks - Head of Enterprise Services for Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland, Edel O’Keeffe - Director of Finance at St. Vincent's Private Hospital, Ghada Trotabas - Managing Director of Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland, Brian Fitzgerald - Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent's Private Hospital with Grania Heal – Country Head for Ireland at Siemens Healthineers, and Rob Ruttledge](/sites/nhe/files/styles/teaser/public/2024-09/Press%20release%20image-24.jpg?itok=gHKP-rtG)
