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Case Study

West Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust

We are delighted to be working with Sharpsmart, who have been excellent from the moment they were involved in this project. Due to the commitment, proactiveness and teamwork from all parties involved, we were able to transition to Sharpsmart effectively and efficiently and to the satisfaction of our customers and key stakeholders.

Dileepan VijayaKumar

The Challenge

West Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust (WMUH) is a 600-bed site managed by ISS Facilities Management (ISS). Prior to their partnership with Sharpsmart, WMUH had invested in onsite waste processing which allowed them to safely dispose of waste within the grounds of their hospital.

In August of 2022, due to unforeseen circumstances, onsite waste processing was no longer available for the Trust and therefore the ISS team had to source a viable waste processing solution within a matter of days with minimum interruption.

Our Approach

STEP 1

Sharpsmart was contacted by ISS to scope out a solution which would involve waste being collected from the hospital and transported to the nearest waste processing facility for treatment and disposal.

STEP 2

Within a matter of days, the Sharpsmart team were able to confirm the availability of vehicles, drivers, clinical waste bins and the vital processing capacity at their local plant in Rainham, Essex. 

STEP 3

Sharpsmart and ISS then took the next critical step to agree to the framework for the new partnership which was followed by the swift delivery of new clinical waste bins to avoid the potential risk of overflowing waste on site during the contract mobilisation period.

The Solution

On day one of the contract, six days after contact was first made by ISS, Sharpsmart’s Field Service Team, Commercial Director, Mobilisation Manager and additional support staff travelled to WMUH to build and set up new waste management equipment. Following the initial build, the teams reorganised the waste compound to allow for increased storage capacity and enhanced stock management.

Service schedules, collection times and final requirements were then agreed with ISS before the management of the clinical waste contract was handed over to the dedicated Sharpsmart Contract Manager.

Throughout the mobilisation, the Sharpsmart and ISS teams ensured they committed to ongoing and transparent communication with one another to flag potential issues, delays and key timeframes within the contract’s mobilisation. The clear communications and incredible teamwork meant that despite the clinical waste contract being rolled out within six days, there were no reported interruptions to services at West Midlands University Hospital.

The Outcome

The seamless transition from one partner to another allowed clinical and porterting teams at WMUH to work as normal without concern of increased waste levels which would have increased the risk of infection and injury to staff and patients, impacted efficiences in waste movement and may have results in potential legal implications.

The six day clinical waste rollout and ongoing clinical waste contract management has resulted in:

  • Zero interruptions to WMUH's clinical and portering teams.
  • Enhance waste segregation through the assignment of clinical waste bins to individual waste streams.
  • Significant carbon footprint reductions, diverting waste from high-temperature incineration to more sustainable outlets.