New plan for reducing NHS reliance on single-use

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)’s new Design for Life Roadmap pledges to establish a “circular approach” to stocking the NHS.

“Every year, millions of expensive medical devices are chucked in the bin after being used just once”

Wes Streeting

This would involve a focus on reusing, remanufacturing and recycling medical products such as surgical instruments, walking aids and tourniquets – many of which are currently thrown away after one use.

The strategy sets out 30 actions that the government will take over the next 20 years to “transition away” from all avoidable single-use medical technology (medtech).

One part of the plan is based on achieving “behavioural change” among NHS staff and patients, which will involve new training for the workforce.

“Clinicians and patients have a core role in the shift to a circular model,” stated the plan.

“Often they will know the best ways to make positive change as they are using these devices in practice.

“They may also, completely understandably, have concerns about what a move towards a circular system may entail.”

The DHSC suggested in its plan that it would be seeking clinicians’ “lived experience and thoughts” to support the behavioural change work.

Other actions in the strategy aim to improve commercial incentives for sustainable medtech to be developed and rolled out.

Wes Streeting

The DHSC said the new approach would help reduce the 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste produced by the NHS every year in England alone, and also save money.

Under the strategy, it is also aiming to decrease the UK’s reliance on imports from overseas and in turn create more jobs locally.

As an example of work already done that could be scaled up, the DHSC spotlighted how Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had saved £76,610 by purchasing remanufactured electrophysiology catheters and generated a further £22,923 by selling used devices for collection.

Meanwhile, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust had saved £20,000 and 0.75 metric tonnes of plastic waste by switching from single-use to reusable tourniquets during a one-year trial.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “Every year, millions of expensive medical devices are chucked in the bin after being used just once.

“We are going to work closely with our medical technology industry, to eliminate waste and support homegrown medtech and equipment.”

Earlier this year, before the general election, nurses laid out their calls to action for the incoming government in relation to sustainability, as part of the Nursing Times Manifesto by Nurses.

One plea was for the introduction of new “stringent” policies for recycling and waste minimisation in healthcare facilities.