FEATURE ARTICLES

How can the medical devices sector move beyond ‘green washing’ and improve its sustainability credentials? Graeme Cameron, Dan Wilson and Rich Shaw answer some burning questions on the role of industry and NHS procurement in helping achieve Net Zero.

In England, the NHS produces around 600,000 tonnes of waste annually, costing more than £115 million to dispose of. Thomas Needs, from Incision, provides an insight into how digital technology can enable theatre teams to reduce waste, cut costs, and improve sustainability.

The Clinical Services Journal recently visited Starkstrom’s new state-of-the-art demonstration and training facility. Here, the latest vital infrastructure and new technologies can be explored, touched and configured – helping to visualise and optimise operating theatres of the future.

At a Westminster Health Forum policy conference, earlier this year, Dr. Hayley Pinto, Education and Training lead at The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, discussed some of the biggest challenges facing the NHS, in meeting Net Zero targets. She warned that ‘we could consider our collective failure to tackle climate change as a safeguarding issue for an entire generation’.

Apprenticeship degrees are often underutilised, but they are a good way to upskill staff, while simultaneously looking after practice needs. However, given the NHS’ unique challenges, suitable upskilling opportunities are often hard to find. In this article, Stacey Hayes-Allen, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Arden University, discusses how the health and care sector can utilise apprenticeships to ease the sector’s widening skills gap.

A new report published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has revealed the true scale and impact of the UK’s gynaecology care crisis, with over three quarters of a million (763,694) waiting for months and years with serious gynaecological conditions.

Around 1.6 million twins are born each year worldwide, as multiple pregnancies continue to increase. However, these pregnancies carry greater risks of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Jane Hanford, explores how the evolution of high-quality ultrasound and imaging innovation, particularly Superb Micro-vascular Imaging (SMI) technology, is helping sonographers to identify potential risks early on, and allow for more effective treatment options.

The integration of AI in healthcare holds transformative potential to enhance patient care, but it also brings forward essential ethical considerations that need addressing to ensure fair and equitable deployment.1,2 Dr. Julia Mokhova and Kenza Benkirane discuss this significant topic and argue that AI should be “an assistant, but not a doctor”.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS discusses the future of the NHS and the debate around the ten-year plan. The Prime Minister has said the NHS needs ‘major surgery not just sticking plaster solutions’, but with an exhausted and demoralised workforce, will some of the proposed solutions for change be the final straw for some?

The NHS faces one of the most significant challenges in its history: tackling the elective care backlog. So, could insourcing help provide an answer? Portland Clinical explains why this strategy is increasing in popularity and how it can make a difference.

The NHS plans to stop purchasing from suppliers who do not meet or exceed its commitment to Net Zero and yet the HealthTech industry continues to face barriers and challenges to bringing sustainable medical devices to market. So, what can the NHS do to encourage innovation in sustainable HealthTech and ultimately reduce its carbon footprint?

An important study, involving the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, in the UK, and two other hospitals in Europe, has shed new light on how operating theatres can increase staff safety, improve theatre efficiency and reduce clinical waste.

Anaesthetists are making progress in reducing their impact on the environment. Dr. Paul Southall, an Elected Council Member of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and Environmental Advisor to the College, provides an insight into how the specialty is striving to ensure the NHS meets its Net Zero ambitions.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS says we have a moral duty to reduce our carbon footprint. The Green Surgery Report by the Royal Colleges has set out the pathway for healthcare, but there are many ways in which we can ensure a circular economy. In this article, she discusses some of the ways this can be achieved.

A new strategy is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service. The Design for Life programme aims to reduce waste and achieve an NHS-wide move to sustainable alternatives.

Daniel Garrett discusses the progress achieved over 80 years of development in haemostat solutions. He provides an in-depth review of oxidised cellulose and gelatin sponge haemostats.

As the NHS faces considerable financial issues, Alison Arnold, provides an insight into where valuable money could be saved at hospital sites across the UK, by rethinking procurement strategies.

Dawn Stott highlights the findings from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, practitioner surveys, and focus groups, which provide an insight into current knowledge and awareness around the role of airway devices in infection risk. In this article, she discusses the potential for patient harm and how this can be mitigated.

St George’s University Hospitals Trust evaluated an intervention designed to reduce the incidence of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in mechanically ventilated patients. The analysis showed a 66% reduction in VAP, highlighting the potential for substantial cost savings and improved patient outcomes, through the implementation of preventative medical devices.

The Association for Perioperative Practice is committed to helping perioperative practitioners to develop their skills, as well as improving patient care and safety. As we approach the end of 2024, it is a time for reflection, and this year has been a particularly important year for the AfPP – as it has celebrated its 60th Anniversary.