Clinical engineering
expertise and oversight to support healthcare’s Net Zero transition. This is already occurring in some settings, but a consistent approach across healthcare is required. The authors point out that, in England, there are currently not enough engineers working directly in the NHS to maintain technologies and achieve the goals of sustainability programmes in the long term. Surveys of the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering (MPCE) workforce by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) provide evidence of this challenge. Their work revealed that the workforce must grow by 44% to function effectively and that 24% of the current MPCE workforce is close to reaching retirement age. Despite this, the MPCE profession was not mentioned in NHSE’s 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan. The report states that recognition of clinical engineering in such publications is essential if the shortage of clinical engineers is to be addressed and the NHS is to achieve its key goals, including its Net Zero targets. Workforce planning and mandated targets
for clinical engineering positions in healthcare, supported by sufficient funding and the creation of new roles where necessary, will enable clinical engineering to develop into an established and recognised profession within healthcare, leading to future benefits for the entire healthcare system. IMechE also points out that clinical engineers are also not currently eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa. The IPEM recommends that this should be addressed, with clinical engineers added to the list to support short-term growth in the sector, which IMechE supports.
The report calls for workforce planning in collaboration with professional engineering institutions to assess the current and future needs of clinical engineers within hospitals to support the integration of new technologies.
qualified engineers in the country. The authors of the report state that, in healthcare, it is the responsibility of healthcare providers to work with these actors on this and provide enough high-quality engineering positions within their organisations, with a flexible array of entry routes. They add that there is no doubt that, without this action and a resulting increase in the number of engineers employed by healthcare providers, that Net Zero goals in healthcare will not be achieved. The report calls for workforce planning in
collaboration with professional engineering institutions to assess the current and future needs of clinical engineers within hospitals to support the integration of new technologies. In summary, the report outlines the following
The IMechE acknowledges that the number
of engineers in the UK is a threat to nearly all sectors, not just healthcare, with all major engineering specialisms being listed on the Home Office’s shortage occupations list. Coordinated action on the part of government, professional engineering institutions (PEIs), and academia is required to increase the number of
key actions to help achieve the NHS’s Net Zero ambitions: 1. Facilitating collaborative innovation in healthcare by promoting partnerships between engineers, healthcare providers, academia, and industry to develop sustainable solutions. To encourage and support the development of solutions within the healthcare sector and achieve Net Zero aspirations, it is imperative to ensure the strategic enhancement of knowledge generation and sharing mechanisms, both within and across the UK’s four nations and among the NHS, academia, professional engineering institutions, patients, and industry.
2. Creating a supportive funding and regulatory environment to empower engineers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and industry to tackle sustainability challenges within healthcare.
To support the development and deployment of solutions and empower engineers, SMEs, and industry to tackle sustainability challenges within the healthcare sector, an expansion of dedicated funding mechanisms will be required, alongside an evolution of the regulatory landscape that enables innovation to flourish.
Drones can successfully deliver blood, chemotherapy drugs, and medical devices – helping to reduce carbon emissions.
3. Integration of engineering expertise in healthcare systems. To facilitate the transition to a more
June 2024 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 29
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