Reducing surgical instrument waste

Surgeons and other front-line theatre professionals are not immune to the financial stresses facing NHS hospitals, even as we endeavour to carry on with the complexities of delivering surgical services. The Government’s stringent budget constraints and restrictions on our spending mean that there is a significant drive to make savings from central funding sources. Clinicians are asked to do more and more each month with less and less money. We are keen to support actions that achieve fiscal savings without compromising on patient care and especially quality. 

Patient safety is priority one, and highvalue patient care is multifactorial. The Lord Carter report in 2016 highlights these factors – greater collaboration with our partners, more involvement of clinical leadership, the need to harness technology and the use of data to establish better ways of working – noting that these efforts can help release savings but not at the expense of quality of patient care.1 

With these pressures and goals in mind, the Royal Derby Hospital has undertaken improvements to some of our 35 theatres using a digital solution that we believe could help achieve savings, without compromising care but moreover improving it throughout our theatres.