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Millions saved on waste disposal
Sharp-thinking surgical staff from Sheffield switched from human to hospital plumbing in a bid to save the NHS millions of pounds.
Clinical staff from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital joined forces with the medical physics team at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to find a better and cheaper way of disposing of blood and other waste from operating theatres.
In the past, the waste had to be drained from operating tables into plastic containers, which then had to be sealed and transported to land fill sites.
The process was fraught with problems, including theatre technicians having to lift heavy containers, the risk of the containers leaking and the cost of using land fill.
So, the surgical staff and the medical physics team came up with a suction system that removes the waste from the operating table, mixes it with an anti-foaming agent before pumping it through a narrow tube with a non-return valve, and disposes of it in the sewage system.
Experts say putting the waste into the sewage does not create any additional risks and removes the worse risk posed by a leaking container.
Marion Hill, Sister in Urology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, was involved in developing the new system.
She said: "The old system meant we had to spend a lot of money on consumables such as containers and bins and for the waste to be taken away. However with this new system, the fluid goes straight into the sewage system to bypass a lot of monetary and environmental wastage.
"This has saved us about 30,000 over a year for just two urology theatres."
Clinical technologist John Wilson, who was part of the medical physics team said: "I would like this system to be a winner. It not only saves lifting and handling which prevents staff injury; but ultimately will save the hospital thousands of pounds."
Medipex, the centre for NHS innovation in Yorkshire and Humber, is now looking for a company to help it commercialise the Sheffield development, so that it can benefit NHS Trusts across the country, which are thought to generate 193,000 tonnes of clinical waste every year.
Email business development:
chris.herbert@medipex.co.uk or call 0113 344 3853.
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
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