Creating a greener NHS

The surge of PPE equipment has meant a surge in the use of disposable PPE , and this has had a huge environmental impact . As part of our commitment to work towards a Net Zero NHS , we are expanding our collaborations to consider sustainability . The AHSN environmental sustainability community of interest group , chaired by our Deputy CEO , Kathy Scott , is set to develop a new strategy that will include a clear objective to support a Net Zero NHS in the adoption and implementation of innovative and reusable PPE .

Since the start of the second national lockdown in November 2020 , we have been working with NHS England ’ s National PPE programme and the PPE Innovation and Sustainability team who are leading on reusable PPE in the UK . We were involved in workshops earlier this year to allow us to understand the innovation needs of the 60 clinicians , regulators and those representing areas of work around infection prevention and control , procurement , sustainability , and supply chain .

The workshops have proven just how valuable it has been for us to be a part of a wider network of organisations dedicated to bringing new innovations into the sector , providing visibility of the many initiatives dedicated to reusable PPE that are underway such as a pilot programme

looking at reusable gowns involving 41 trusts . Initial findings from this pilot have shown a cost saving in the region of £ 1.54 per use based on 75 washes and including laundry costs . The sustainability benefits are significant : 28 % less energy , 41 % less water and 66 % fewer emissions are needed or generated in the production and laundering of a reusable gown compared to the equivalent number of disposable gowns .

Adopting innovation at pace and scale , rapid evidence gathering and understanding the solutions available was key to delivering necessary changes as part of the pandemic response . Our role within the network of AHSNs enabled us to draw on our preexisting relationships within the PPE industry that allowed for collaboration and learning and the subsequent impact to take place on a much greater scale .

Reusable gown pilot findings

14 Transforming Lives Through Innovation