New Case Studies from the Green Team Competition

Hi all, 

We recently collaborated with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH) NHS FT, and for the second time, Northampton General Hospital (NGH) NHS Trust in our Green Team Competition programme. The competitions have anticipated annual savings of between £85,712-£252,864 and 34,000-40,172 kgCO2e (equivalent to driving over 100,000 miles in an average car).

Northampton's winning team, Hand Therapy, improved patient outcomes while saving significant amounts of appointment slots and staff time across the MDT (consultants, nurses, hand therapists and admin). Other entries contributed to improving patient care while reducing environmental harm, for example by reducing rates of catheter-associated infections or improving comfort and rates of successful bowel prep for colonoscopy procedures.

At STH, the winning team implemented reusable tourniquets with positive staff and patient feedback. Another team focussed on reducing low value paracetamol use and tablet burden for patients in a palliative care unit.

Impact reports with links to all 12 project reports along with quotes from participating teams and judging panels are attached. Please do get in touch if you have any questions about the projects and methodology used. The case studies are there to be shared - so please pass on to your colleagues or use them as examples through your meetings/trainings, etc. You will find projects from previous competitions in the resource library as well.

With the competition ending, there are plans within both organisations to meet with teams 1-1 to explore next steps and how sustaining/embedding and spreading projects can be achieved. 

I will leave you with the perspective of Clare Topping, Head of Sustainability at NGH who summarised the benefits to NGH, patients and staff;

This is the second time we have taken part in the Green Team Competition and we have seen some amazing entries and evidence of improved sustainability and patient outcomes. It gives our colleagues, no matter what their role, an opportunity to have support in trying new ideas and to take ownership of leading change. Many of the ideas have wider benefits too and are shared with other hospitals and healthcare providers locally, nationally and internationally.

Best wishes,

Rachel

(SusQI lead for competitions and specialty challenges)