SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NHS
The reusable P3-type mask made by Rev Zero and eScent was originally manufactured for the military. Paul Chivers explained that ‘these P3 respirators are much more lightweight, and the whole panel across the front is a filter’.
while simultaneously reducing carbon by 11,500 tonnes.”
Plastic aprons Turning to the plastic aprons widely used in healthcare, the speaker said they created a lot of waste. Paul Chivers added: “Our key message is that if you do need to wear an apron, please wear a reusable one. They’re available; they can be laundered through the same process, and can be used up to 75 times. If we did that, reduced the number of aprons used by 80%, and went over to reusables, that’s nearly 10,000 tonnes of carbon, 3,264 tonnes of waste, and again, circa £1 m saved, year on year.” He emphasised that these figures were based on current usage, and were not as high as they had been at the pandemic’s peak.
Visors Looking next at visors, the speaker said the response to current widely used visors in healthcare from 2,800 people questioned about them had been ‘shocking’. Paul Chivers said one of the other things the team was working on was a P3 respirator. He told delegates: “I showed you one earlier. If, as a patient, you have just come around from an aesthetic, and somebody approaches you wearing one of these, you could be petrified. However, we have had to adapt, and the one I am showing you now (here he showed a photo of a more ‘conventional-looking’, reusable mask made by Rev Zero and eScent) was manufactured for the military.” Paul Chivers explained that ‘these P3 respirators are much more lightweight, and the whole panel across the front is a filter’.
Obscured vision Unlike some existing respirators, these respirators also wouldn’t obscure staff’s vison. Health and care workers regularly
March 2023 Health Estate Journal 19
A reusable Type IIR mask.
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