Sustainability
£20,000 in procurement costs and 0.75 metric tonnes of plastic waste.
l In Northampton Hospitals NHS Trust, a single ophthalmology department saved 1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and £12,000 in a year by switching to reusable pairs. Single-use scissors are often used in surgical settings. NHS procurement data shows that several million pairs of single-use scissors were purchased by the NHS in a single year (2022 to 2023). That is the equivalent of hundreds of pairs of scissors thrown away every hour.
l Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust saved £76,610 in costs, purchasing 604 remanufactured electrophysiology (EP) catheters, and generated a further £22,923 for selling used devices for collection. If the same approach were to be scaled up across the UK, the NHS could save millions of pounds per year
The Design for Life programme
The Design for Life programme is an initiative of the medical technologies and innovation directorate in DHSC, dedicated to delivery of a circular approach to MedTech. Circularity in MedTech means designing, procuring and processing medical products in a way that enables them to be reused, remanufactured or recycled, preserving their value for as long as possible. The benefits of a circular economy in the health sector are vast and increasingly well- understood, but are rarely put into practice and are difficult to scale. Unlocking these benefits across the UK health sector will bring many opportunities for innovation and growth, while improving patient care and value for money and supporting the transition to a Net
Zero NHS. The programme has been developed by a collaborative of more than 80 stakeholders from the UK MedTech industry, the healthcare sector and academia. This roadmap divides the programme into six
problem statements which will be addressed by a suite of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision. DHSC will work with the UK health services and other partners to agree action leads and governance mechanisms to underpin delivery, supported by a costed delivery plan. The six ‘problem statements’ include:
Leadership and alignment Statement 1: unclear direction and misaligned strategies across the value chain lead to inconsistencies, inefficiencies and inertia,
hindering meaningful, coordinated progress.
Behavioural change Statement 2: the MedTech landscape is one in which linear products are the default choice, maintained by a lack of value placed on circular systems and limited support for change.
Commercial incentivisation Statement 3: stakeholders are insufficiently incentivised, or in some instances are disincentivised to choose and deliver circular solutions.
Regulations and standards Statement 4: UK regulatory regimes and technical standards predate circularity and have potential to further enable the MedTech sector to recognise opportunities and align internationally.
Physical and digital infrastructure Statement 5: the existing physical and digital infrastructure and supporting services hold back the scaling of circular solutions, both locally and nationally.
Transformative innovation Statement 6: the innovation ecosystem is not tailored to circular objectives, impeding development of solutions.
To view the full report, visit:
https://www.gov. uk/government/publications/design-for-life- roadmap/design-for-life-roadmap--4#summary
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