A SUSTAINABLE NHS
a similar story for solar power and point-of-use water heating too, both of which could play and important part in the solution, but raise questions around the implementation of the technology, and whether they can meet the standards the health service needs. A possible solution involves augmenting, rather
Anil Madan and Ideal Standard
Anil Madan joined Ideal Standard in 2017 as a Product manager, and is now UK Non-Residential Marketing manager for Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks. With over 20 years’ experience in B2B marketing, and over 10 years working in the commercial sanitaryware sector, he has a wide understanding of the needs of healthcare professionals, installers, and end-users. In his role, he manages the Armitage Shanks brand range of specialist healthcare and commercial fittings and sanitaryware, ‘helping to drive innovation and raise standards in the sector to create the best solutions possible’. Ideal Standard
International describes itself as ‘a world- leading manufacturer of high-quality residential, commercial, and healthcare bathroom solutions’. Headquartered in Brussels, the company employs over 7,000 people, operating at eight manufacturing sites, and serving over 100 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers a wide range of bathroom products – including ceramics, taps and fittings, bathing, and furniture and accessories.
than replacing, existing systems – i.e. gaining heat recovery from wastewater – drastically reducing energy expenditure. Heat recovery has been shown to work on an industrial scale, albeit at a high cost, but its application in healthcare must also come with the assurance that flow temperatures won’t be affected. Application of heat recovery would have to come with a guarantee of a consistent heat supply, which would likely undermine the sustainability value – bringing the NHS back to square one.
NHS water safety guidelines In the face of these, and other imperfect solutions, attention must at some point turn to the immovable object of NHS water safety guidelines, but these are firmly focused on patient safety, unlikely to change, and will be slow to do so. Chemical water treatments have been raised as an alternative, but the potential for harmful by-products, and the need for a suite of additional monitoring parameters, are two of a host of questions posed by this possibility. In reality, the answer is likely to be a combination of technological and procedural solutions, and it’ll be reached with input of water safety teams at every stage. Reducing emissions spent on water isn’t the only place
where water safety teams can contribute to the NHS’s sustainability mission. In the years leading up to the 2040 target and in the decades beyond, emission reductions will have to become second nature for everyone in the NHS – they’ll have to understand what that means in their role, be able to advocate and implement best practice, and become fluent in recording and reporting on the impact of their work. This level of active, consistent knowledge is officially referred to as ‘competence’ by water safety teams, and should be a useful benchmark for the always-on attitude to sustainability that will be needed to get the organisation to Net Zero and, importantly, keep it there. For water safety teams, this competence means constantly assessing the potential risk of contamination at each stage of a project and, for every team member, understanding how their role impacts that risk. If sustainability teams could establish a similar level of this competence across their multidisciplinary groups, it
Anil Madan said: “In reality, the answer is likely to be a combination of technological and procedural solutions, and it’ll be reached with input of water safety teams at every stage.”
would help break a huge task into a manageable part of people’s workloads. It would also help eliminate the scale of the task as a barrier to action, but it does need collaboration and input from across the organisation. The phrase ‘no job too small’ is particularly apt when it comes to considering water safety, but it’s valuable for sustainability as well.
Proper progress Luckily, the NHS is powered by some of the best minds in the business, and Trusts across the UK have been working diligently to make their operations as carbon-efficient as possible, with some initiatives requiring more than a little outside-of-the-box thinking. An impressive example comes from the South Coast, where vital chemotherapy treatment drugs are being delivered to patients on the Isle of Wight from mainland providers by uncrewed aerial vehicles, or drones to you and I. Previously, chemotherapy drugs had to be delivered by a courier from Portsmouth by ferry or hovercraft to the island, then driven to St Mary’s hospital in Newport. Now, with purpose-built medical drones, this journey,
which did take four hours, has been cut to just 30 minutes, and the emissions from at least two car journeys and one ferry/hovercraft saved. This ingenious, technology-driven success story is just one of a thousand small changes that are not just making the NHS greener, but also delivering better care for patients.
‘More sci-fi than most’ This green initiative is more sci-fi than most, and it’s true that the majority of change will be in the NHS’s core operations, and involve more difficult questions than drones. Much of this work
The message from the progress made so far in decarbonising the NHS is that there are opportunities everywhere, and that no stone should be left unturned in the process.
88 Health Estate Journal October 2024
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