Types of Sustainability and Value projects and benefits
Sustainability and Value provides tactical support and through the Project Management Office (PMO) oversees 100s of projects a year that range in scale and duration. Each Project can be accounted for on a Recurring and Non-Recurring basis.
Examples of various Projects:
- Recurring savings from changes in drug prices.
- Recurring savings from the change of consumables used in clinical procedures.
- Non Recurring savings in the reduction of agency staff used in a department.
- Recurring savings delivered through service redesign.
- Cost avoidance through the use of alternative methods of service delivery to manage increased demands.
Waste Projects
The waste policy has been revised to reflect the commitments NHSGGC is making to meet legislative obligations and targets as a key part of our Scope 3 emissions towards Net Zero and Climate Change. This is a change of direction from the previous policy and focuses on the environmental impact of waste and our ambitions to reduce that impact.
NHS Scotland is committed to meeting the requirements of Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan through the Policy and Waste Management Action Plan as well as through short-term, medium-term and long-term projects to increase resource use efficiency and improve sustainability practices.
Our Future Waste Management Model
- Prevent and Reduce – Through our sustainable procurement and clinical sustainability group we will work to prevent, reduce and reuse waste.
- Reuse and Recycle – Implementation of waste segregation within clinical settings to increase segregation of non-contaminated waste into recycling stream and move away from single use items.
- Recover / Dispose – Implement recycling facilities at source for general waste in public and staff non-clinical areas.
There have been various projects and initiatives involving waste minimisation in order to be more sustainable. Clinical waste segregation is a significant and on-going project, as well as improving recycling facilities across all GGC sites.
Dry-Mixed Recycling (DMR)
DMR is a broad term used to describe different types of clean recycling waste that can be reused, reformed or broken down into their core materials. They include: dry paper waste, office paper, newspaper and magazines, cereal boxes, card and cardboard boxes, clean, empty cans and tins, clean and dry drinking bottles, milk bottles, and others.
The DMR system utilises existing metal general waste (black lid) bins and infrastructure. The use of existing bins negates the need for purchase of equipment, identification of additional space and will satisfy IPC protocols.
A new implementation plan was developed for the new financial year in order to implement, expand or refine existing systems on all acute sites across NHSGGC.
The new target for recyclates for FY 23 – 24 is 35% (currently 16%).
Theatre Segregation
Stobhill and the New Victoria Success
Stobhill Hospital and the New Victoria Hospital are our first sites to adopt waste segregation in clinical and non-clinical areas and our plan is to role this out on a site by site basis across the NHSGGC.
Segregation in the six theatres at Stobhill showed a 70% reduction in orange bag waste with a saving of 42 tonnes of waste volume, £17,000 cost avoidance and C02 saving of 17 tonnes.
Neptune 3
Neptune 3 is a closed-circuit waste management system that collects, transports, and disposes of surgical waste fluid helping protect staff from exposure whilst increasing efficiencies in the operating room.
There is a potentially significant waste and cost saving from eliminating Vac Sacs from the waste stream which weigh around 2kg each that are treated through the clinical waste stream.
Rover
Docking Station
Manifold
- Time saved – minimum 3.6 minutes per procedure
- Efficiency – within the operating room and waste supply chain
- Cost saving – reduction in clinical waste and consumables
- Staff Wellbeing – investment to the Healthcare Professional
- Eco Sustainability – Reducing footprint of clinical waste