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Case Study

Whiston Hospital

“I’ve got nothing but high praise for Sharpsmart as a product, service and company. I’ve been a supporter from day one and will take any opportunity to say so. The communication and ongoing support I’ve received from contract managers, the customer service team and drivers has always been excellent. Sharpsmart is the most helpful and informative of all the waste companies we’ve worked with as an organisation – always happy to assist, and forthcoming with ideas to help us. They really do go the extra mile.”

Brian Jones – Assistant Portering and Logistics Manager, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

The Challenge

Whiston Hospital is one of two sites providing a full range of acute healthcare services under the Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, caring for the needs of over 600,000 people.

Internal audits in 2016 uncovered 80 breaches in the hospital’s disposal of clinical waste, meaning non-compliance with legislative requirements. Separate infection prevention audits also uncovered numerous issues with closing down and signing off the existing single-use sharps containers being used.

The majority of the non-conformances were happening within the waste compound due to the single-use sharps bin lids not being correctly fixed or closed, resulting in sharps waste spilling out.

In 2017, the Trust received eight sharps injury claims, three of which were upheld and paid out. The total financial cost of sharps injury claims to date is around £151,000.

Our Approach

STEP 1

The Sharpsmart team conducted a ward walk to scope out the first areas to receive Sharpsmart’s reusable containers on a trial basis. This ensured the right size of containers to fulfil the needs of the types and volumes of waste being generated. Also, by switching over to a safety-engineered device that eliminates overfilling and improperly fitted lids, Whiston Hospital could get ahead of most of their previous non-conformance issues.

STEP 2

From clinical area installs to porter training, the changeover from single-use containers to reusables was frictionless. Staff were trained on container use and stock-level management. The Sharpsmart Team were on site for the first month to support staff with the new system and answer any questions.

STEP 3

Overall, the delivery and installation of the reusable system only took six days and had minimum impact on hospital services or day-to-day operations.

The Solution

Sharpsmart reusables were installed throughout the hospital with the container types and sizes optimised for the departments they were added to.

All porters were trained for a streamlined process of daily runs to collect full, used containers and keep on top of new container stock for wards and departments.

Staff were trained in the correct opening and closing procedures as well as waste segregation best practices.

Educational materials including posters and bin labels were provided to reinforce the face-to-face training and e-learning.

The Outcome

After initially being introduced on a trial basis, more and more clinical staff began asking for the Sharpsmart system to be installed hospital-wide. Once the full installation was complete, clinical staff and portering teams quickly engaged with the user-friendly new system.

 

Since the installation of Sharpsmart reusables at Whiston Hospital, sharps waste spillage is no longer a problem and the risk of needlestick injury has been reduced by over 85%.

 

Throughout the hospital, Sharpsmart has ensured that clinical waste is managed more effectively across the five key areas of need:

  • Safety: Elimination of needlestick injuries through safety-engineered devices for sharps waste containment with secure lids.
  • Sustainability: Reduction in waste volumes and associated CO2e, resulting in an 89% reduction and meeting NHS targets on carbon reduction.
  • Efficiency: Reduction in costs associated with waste volumes and treatment.
  • Compliance: Ensuring adherence to regulations with a significant reduction in non-conformances.
  • Education: Ongoing blended learning which provides a cost-effective, compliant and safe healthcare waste management system whilst contributing to a cleaner patient environment.