Sustainable Theatres and Anaesthetics Toolkit
About the project
The NHS has a national ambition to deliver the world’s first net zero health service and respond to climate change, improving health now and for future generationsi. Operating theatres have a significant carbon footprint. Anaesthetic gas use is responsible for 2% or NHS carbon footprint. The NHS Long Term plan commits to lowering this by 40% by “transforming anaesthetic practices”ii
Health Innovation West Midlands undertook a survey of theatres and anaesthetic teams from all hospitals within the West Midlands. In response to the results of this survey and the NHS NetZero report, and in collaboration with local Clinical Colleagues, Health Innovation West Midlands has developed this free collection of resources aimed at supporting theatres and anaesthetic teams in improving environmental impact.
Project Ambitions
The Sustainable Theatres and Anaesthetics Toolkit can be downloaded here: Sustainable Theatres and Anaesthetics Toolkit
Supporting resources for this toolkit are:
The Toolkit collates resources to help:
- Reduce the use of volatile anaesthetics
- Promote the implementation of the NHS England Nitrous Oxide Toolkit
- General and theatres specific sustainability training environmental sustainability upskilling resources
- Sustainable operating theatre checklist
- Provide potential cost improvement and waste management project examples
- Total Intravenous Anaesthesia
- Ethylchloride alternatives
- Just in case medication use and audit tool
- IV to oral switch and therapeutic substitution policy template
- Reusable items
- Remanufactured devices
- Waste management
- Patient education resources
Additional Resources
References
i NHS, Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service NHS Carbon footprint plus from https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2020/10/delivering-a-net-zero-national-health-service.pdf
ii NHS. The NHS long term plan. 2019. https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/