SusQI Case Study: Reusable safe cutleries and plates in a forensic unit setting

Project completed as part of the North East London 2023 Green Team Competition by the Estates Team at East London Foundation Trust.

It is estimated that England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery, most of which are plastics; and 721 million single-use plates per year, with only 10% recycled. As of October 2023, a range of polluting single-use plastics (including plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays) has been banned by the UK government.

NHS England estimate a switch from single-use inpatient meal sets to a reusable service could save the average NHS hospital 50-100 tonnes CO2 each year, equivalent to around 185,000 car miles, and £30k a year. In January 2023, NHS England launched a practical how-to guide for catering consumables for the NHS system to support transitions to more sustainable mealtimes.

Within the East London NHS Foundation Trust, we provide mental health services, including care to patients in forensic wards, which provides intensive support for adults and young people with mental health needs in a secure setting. In order to maintain patient and staff safety during mealtimes, it is not possible to switch to standard metal cutlery. As a team, we therefore needed to work together with our forensics wards to move towards sustainable mealtimes, lower our carbon footprint, whilst improving patient dining experiences, and most importantly maintain patient and staff safety and reducing procurement costs.

Click here for more information on the Green Team Competition (including organisation impact reports).