Heartbeat: On a mission to a greener NHS

February 15, 2022

A nurse for over 30 years, Clare Nash, Head of Clinical Products Management at the Black Country Alliance is on a mission to influence and inspire her colleagues to make greener choices.

Speaking to Heartbeat she explained: “I love meeting and working with many clinicians across the acute and community sectors, and believe together we make great improvements in patient care. Being able to influence and implement the Greener NHS agenda is what gets me fired up each day though. I lead a regional greener care group that is implementing several net zero programmes of work on reuse of products including silicone tourniquets. We are also looking at how we might expand our reuse of walking aids, and implementing reusable theatre caps and gowns, and I am always looking for colleagues to share their ideas on what products we focus on next to go green.

“As a clinical procurement nurse I ensure the products we use to care for our patients and colleagues are safe, fit for purpose, sustainable, standardised, and deliver quality and value for our trusts, the taxpayer and the planet. Around 62% of NHS greenhouse gas emissions come from the products we procure for us to care for our patients. We have developed a Sustainability Impact Assessment for the Black Country ICS to measure any adverse and positive effects from the products we procure. We are already implementing greener solutions across the ICS, including reusable respirators in place of single use FFP3s, reusable non-sterile gowns, and type IIR surgical masks. This has reduced waste, ensured continuous supplies even at the height of the first wave of COVID, and saved precious planetary resources.”

As part of a wider procurement team across SWB and Dudley, Clare works alongside clinical colleagues to understand their needs, and source sustainable products that are fit for purpose whilst adhering to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and evidence-based practice.

The NHS uses 45 million single use tourniquets every year. Working with the critical care outreach team, Clare is currently evaluating a reusable wipeable tourniquet which she is hoping we will transition to if tests go well. Her focus on sustainability came after she had been working in clinical procurement for a few years when her current role was advertised, and seeing the positive impact she could have on patient care, she naturally jumped at the opportunity. Now, working across two Trusts, and leading a regional group, she supports more staff to deliver safer, greener care for patients.

Clare believes that we all should sign up to delivering greener care. She explained: “The climate emergency is a health emergency and every one of us has a role to play in getting to net zero and doing our patients no harm. Delivering on our regional programmes of work will contribute a significant reduction in carbon emissions and waste reduction, improve air quality, and deliver greater social value to our local communities.”