Sustainability
the knowledge or understanding to question embedded working practices or challenge the status-quo, so it is essential to ensure that they are fully informed about the products they are using to help them make the right choice for the planet, as well as for the safety of their patients. A collaborative approach is also important. As well as the NHS working closely with suppliers, support from Government and industry bodies will play a vital role in encouraging change for the better. The professional organisations that represent surgical organisations and individuals are well-placed to influence working practices and attitudes towards sustainability, and there needs to be greater dialogue between all parties to help facilitate this. There is certainly an argument for a more joined-up approach across the healthcare sector. While the linear economy model is very much focused on short-term procurement structures and quick-win savings, there is now an urgent need to adopt a more circular approach which takes into account longer- term efficiency and investment to protect the environment and safeguard the future of our planet for generations to come.
CSJ
References 1. House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts 2022 Department of Health and Social Care 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts:
https://committees.parliament. uk/publications/22517/documents/165936/ default/
2. National Audit Office 2020 Department of Health & Social Care The Supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic:
https://www.nao.org.uk/ wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-supply-of- personal-protective-equipment-PPE-during- the-COVID-19-pandemic.pdf
3. Department of Health and Social Care 2021 Government response PPE procurement in the early pandemic:
https://www.gov.uk/ government/news/ppe-procurement-in-the- early-pandemic
4. New York Times 2020 Waste, Negligence and Cronyism: Inside Britain’s Pandemic Spending:
https://www.nytimes.com/ interactive/2020/12/17/world/europe/britain-
covid-contracts.html
5. Cabinet Office 2020 Response to article published by the New York Times on UK government procurement:
https://www.gov. uk/government/news/response-to-article- published-by-the-new-york-times-on-uk- government-procurement
6. Royal Courts of Justice 2021 Mrs Justice O’Farrell DBE Approved Judgment: https://
drive.google.com/file/d/1vJHxocQbUmp5nj1b71
52
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I July 2023
ry3W352MHS1nhg/view
7. High Court of Justice 2022 Between The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and PPE Medpro Limited: https://
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23563617/ dhsc-v-ppe-medpro-particulars-of-claim.pdf
8. BBC News 2021 Covid: NHS gowns ‘suspended’ from use due to packaging concern: https://
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55934676
9. Hausfeld 2020 Government challenged over PPE supply contract worth $83 million: https://
www.hausfeld.com/en-gb/news/government- challenged-over-ppe-supply-contract-worth- 83-million/
10. ‘Covid-19: Unusable PPE worth £4bn will be burned, says spending watchdog’, BMJ 2022;377:o1435:
https://www.bmj.com/ content/377/bmj.o1435
11. NHS Supply Chain 2023 PPE Transition: https://
www.supplychain.nhs.uk/resilience/ppe- transition/
12. NHS England 2023 NHS Clinical Waste Strategy:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs- clinical-waste-strategy/
13. MacNeill AJ, Lillywhite R, Brown CJ. The impact of surgery on global climate: a carbon footprinting study of operating theatres in three health systems. Lancet Planet Health 2017; 1: e381–8:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/29851650/
14. T Blazejewski, R Rothman 2022 Life Cycle Assessment of Elis’ Reusable Hospital Gowns – Executive Summary available at:
https://mcusercontent.com/ aa2ab73f5abeaf7fa577a1399/files/a24a011d- da03-2b21-cb52-634c328e3eed/Life_Cycle_ Assessment_of_Elis_Reusable_Gowns_ Executive_Summary.pdf
15. David C Kieser et al. Does the type of surgical drape (disposable versus non-disposable)
About the author
Roberta Charlett is head of marketing at Elis UK. She joined the company – then called Guardian Surgical – in 2014, and the business was subsequently acquired by Elis in 2017. A leading international multi-service provider, Elis offers textile, hygiene and facilities management solutions throughout Europe and Latin America. With 400,000 customers worldwide, it has a presence in 28 countries, employing 45,000 professionals at 440 production plants and service centres.
affect the risk of subsequent surgical site infection? Journal of Orthopaedics 15 (2018) 566-570:
https://mcusercontent.com/ aa2ab73f5abeaf7fa577a1399/files/f7815791- 88dc-760e-dd65-08ae27e18410/Does_the_type_ of_surgical_drape_disposable_versus_non_ disposable_affect_the_SSI.pdf
16. European Textile Services Association 2023 Surgical Gowns and Drapes: https://www.
textile-services.eu/surgical_gowns_and_ drapes/
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
