Comment EDITOR’S COMMENTwith LOUISE FRAMPTON THE CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL
OPERATING THEATRES
Editor
Louise Frampton
louiseframpton@stepcomms.com
Technical Editor Kate Woodhead
Journal Administration Katy Cockle
katycockle@stepcomms.com
Design Steven Dillon
Business Manager
James Scrivens
jamesscrivens@stepcomms.com
Publisher Geoff King
geoffking@stepcomms.com
Publishing Director Trevor Moon
trevormoon@stepcomms.com
STEP COMMUNICATIONS ISSN No. 1478-5641
© Step Communications Ltd, 2023 Single copy: £19.00 per issue. Annual journal subscription: UK £114.00 Overseas: £150.00
The Clinical Services Journal is published in January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999 Email:
info@clinicalservicesjournal.com Web:
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com
The Publisher is unable to take any responsibility for views
expressed by contributors. Editorial views are not necessarily shared by the journal. Readers are expressly advised that while the contents of this publication are believed to be accurate, correct and complete, no reliance should be placed upon its contents as being applicable to any particular circumstances.
This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention.
All rights reserved, apart from any copying under the UK
Copyright Act 1956, part 1, section 7. Multiple copies of the contents of the publication without permission is always illegal.
Follow us on twitter: @csjmagazine
Follow the CSJ LinkedIn page. Search Clinical Services Journal
Sustainable operating theatres: big impact from small changes
In this year’s edition of CSJ’s Operating Theatres Supplement, sustainability is high on the agenda, in addition to the core discussion areas of patient safety, staff wellbeing, elective recovery and infection prevention. At the time of writing, I had just returned from a celebration of sustainability projects,
hosted by the Florence Nightingale Foundation and Nuffield Health. What impressed me was how surprisingly simple interventions can have a big impact. Hospitals have been implementing a variety of projects aimed at driving improvement, including: l Reducing unnecessary sterile equipment in theatre packs. l Reducing surgical site infection (which in turn reduces carbon footprint), through improved nutrition.
Debbie Price, a Senior Nurse ODP, at Nuffield Health York Hospital, was one of the nurses at the event highlighting their successes. She had implemented a project that targeted infection prevention to reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint. Debbie calculated that the environmental impact of reducing just one infection was a saving equivalent to 667kgCO2
e –
equal to the growth of 31 mature trees in one year. Often these projects save money, as well as carbon emissions. Speaking at the headquarters of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, Charlotte McCardle, the deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “We have to tackle climate change with the same vigour and gusto that we show around patient safety. Crucially, I think there is hope. By acting now, we can really make a difference.” In the UK, the healthcare sector is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, with operating theatres having a disproportionate environmental impact because of their energy-intensive processes, as well as high consumption of resources and production of waste. The NHS has pledged to meet a net zero carbon target by 2045 through its Greener NHS campaign, and individual surgeons and surgical teams are in a unique position to lead efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of the operating theatre, as the Royal College of Surgeons points out. The College states that operating theatres are estimated to be three to six times more energy intensive than clinical wards and tend to produce approximately 50–70% of the total hospital waste. With this in mind, the Royal College of Surgeons has produced helpful guidance on ‘Sustainability in the operating theatre’. It is a must read for theatre teams and makes a number of recommendations on: reducing solid waste, environmentally preferable purchasing, water conservation, care pathways and travel, and leadership and cultural change. It suggests opting for reusable textiles, including reusable PPE; optimising the use of consumables through reusable surgical trays etc; reducing disposable instruments, such as surgical scissors, laparotomy pads and other laparoscopic instruments, and anaesthetic equipment where possible; and influencing suppliers to ensure that the products and services they procure are produced in an environmentally sustainable and ethical way. The list of recommendations is extensive and can be read at:
https://tinyurl.com/37b337hs There is a great deal that operating theatres can do and, in this edition, Kate Woodhead
provides her thoughts and comments on some of the changes that can be implemented. Even small changes can make a difference and, collectively, could add up to significant carbon reductions. CSJ aims to offer inspiration for theatre teams in this issue, as well as future editions, by sharing ideas, projects and thought leadership on sustainable practice. We owe it to patients and we owe it to the planet to take action now, but sharing stories will also be key to inpiring others! If you have a success story that you want to share too, please get in touch...
louiseframpton@stepcomms.com Get in touch and give us your views, email me:
July 2023 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
