Collaboration and outsourcing are two of the largest trends within industry today. Both the public and private sectors are embracing these approaches as a means of driving efficiency and effectiveness, and the waste management industry is no exception.
Joint working and collaborative practice have been highlighted as key objectives for the NHS in order to deliver cost savings and efficiencies going forward. To date, the focus has been largely on clinical partnerships with big pharmaceutical brands. However, there is a huge opportunity within facilities management to deliver similar benefits by introducing collaborative best practice especially when it comes to healthcare waste and recycling.
As with any large organisation and the NHS is larger than most there are multiple contracts and service providers in operation at any one time. In the last five years, weve seen tremendous change in the way in which the NHS is managed and measured. This has seen greater focus on partnership working and collaboration and, as a result, the overall number of service providers can be streamlined. Ultimately, this allows NHS managers to concentrate on more pressing priorities, such as the core patient care targets of the NHS Outcomes Framework.
Waste management
In the waste sector, development has also been continuous, leading to improvements in segregation and recycling processes. In 2007, we saw a huge shake-up of NHS waste management practices, with the introduction of new guidelines and a shift in focus from incineration towards alternative treatment and recycling. The procedures to manage treatment, recycling and disposal of the different waste streams within the healthcare arena have grown tremendously in recent years. Increasingly sophisticated treatment methods are contributing towards an ultimate zero waste to landfill target and the commitment to 34% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020 (against a 1990 baseline).
According to the Royal College of Nursing, the NHS produces up to 250,000 tonnes of waste a year, costing in excess of 40 million per annum to dispose of. We believe that more than 50% of waste from the NHS could be recycled rather than sent to landfill or intensive clinical processing.
By introducing a waste management partner to oversee the entire waste process, it is possible to improve operational efficiencies, ensure regulatory compliance and, most importantly, take the complexity and risk out of segregating waste streams. A collaborative approach allows this external partner to manage a network of service providers working in tandem with healthcare staff to introduce more sustainable practices to achieve overall waste reduction and recycling goals.
Collaboration
Of course, collaborative practices cannot be introduced overnight. The ultimate success of collaboration is dependent on the willingness of all parties to contribute and trust one another. This requires agreed project leaders, a continuity in personnel, open and honest dealings and fixed objectives. Everyone has to be pulling towards the same goal whether that is better waste stream segregation, a reduction in carbon emissions or an increase in recycling rates.
Effective waste management can have real financial benefits for organisations such as the NHS. By ensuring waste streams are managed appropriately, disposal costs can be streamlined and transportation implications reduced. It is clear that the NHS has some ambitious targets to reach in terms of cost cutting, patient care and sustainable practice. Outsourcing waste management and introducing a greater element of collaboration will play a small part in helping to make these targets more achievable.
Subscribe for free