General News
7 June, 2024
Health service reduces environmental footprint
SOUTH West Healthcare is working to further reduce its environmental footprint.
World Environment Day, held last Wednesday, provided an ideal time to highlight the service’s continued commitment to reducing its environmental footprint associated with the clinical care of patients.
Environmental sustainability officer Elvira Hewson said the new recycling program, run in conjunction with Cardinal Health, sees single use compression sleeves reprocessed and re-used several times before disposal.
“As part of the implementation of our 2020-2024 environmental management plan, we’ve continued to make sustainable changes to daily processes; one of those projects being the recycling of the lower limb compression sleeves,” Ms Hewson said.
Clinical products advisor Steph Hughes said the air-filled compression sleeves were used mostly post operatively on a number of wards including acute, maternity and the surgical services unit until patients were mobile again.
“They wrap around the leg, thigh or foot and consist of multiple compartments, connected to an air pump with the different compartments putting pressure on the lower leg veins, aiding blood flow for patients at risk of thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis.
“The sleeves are single use however, through Cardinal Health’s recycling and reprocessing program, the sleeves can effectively be used up to five times before final disposal,” she said.
In a bid to further reduce excess waste, South West Healthcare has also managed a 95 per cent reduction in fluid waste from its operating theatres through a ‘Nemo’ system established last year.
Operating theatre nurse unit manager Melissa Coffey said installing the Serres Nemo model had seen three-fold improvements as it reduces environmental impacts, improves safe handling of fluid waste and reduces costs.
“Theatre staff had been looking for fluid disposal systems, but available models were either too large or needed to be located within theatre which was unworkable due to space constraints,” Ms Coffey said.
“Through the ‘Nemo’ system South West Healthcare’s central sterilisation team estimates that at least half-a-dozen bags are emptied
each day, meaning 4400 litres of waste is treated within the wastewater system rather than being transported, processed with energy intensive treatments and ending up in landfill,” Ms Coffey said.
Other sustainability initiatives undertaken by South West Healthcare and supported by its active sustainability committee has included using 100 per cent compostable products such as injection trays, kidney dishes and anaesthetic packs, and the addition of electric vehicles into the staff fleet.
