Derriford Hospital's emergency department is being celebrated

The team is one of the first five in the country to be recognised for the achievement

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust’s Emergency Department has been recognised as going ‘above and beyond’ for its efforts in making the department more sustainable, receiving a bronze accreditation for their work.

As part of the NHS’s aim to be the world’s first net zero national health service, the team at Derriford Hospital is participating in the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Green ED programme.

The team is one of the first five in the country to be recognised as meeting GreenED’s Bronze level standard for sustainability. The awarding panel at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine praised Derriford’s Emergency Department for its ‘dedication, perseverance, creativity, and leadership’, adding that the team ‘has truly gone above and beyond’.

Ian Higginson, emergency physician and vice president of RCEM said: “I’m really pleased that the efforts of the Emergency Department, and colleagues from the Sustainability Programme and other departments, have been recognised.

“Our ED is one of the first five in the country to receive this accreditation. The project team has been led by Daisy Stevens, and consists of colleagues from many backgrounds within the ED. Next we are trying for Silver, so we aren’t done yet!”

The team worked on a number of activities with the aim of reducing carbon emissions, including reducing energy usage by turning down computer screen brightness, improving waste segregation practices and reducing unnecessary or overused equipment and procedures.

They also audited the department’s paper use, their stocks of unnecessary discharge medications and the use of glove and personal protection equipment.

Kirsty Wavish, sustainability manager at the trust, said: “It’s brilliant to see how the Emergency Department have been able to drill down into the detail as part of working through this framework. Our ambition is to roll these kinds of actions out across the organisation to see where other departments can make an impact.

“For example, if we can just ensure that departments are using the correct bins, we can save significant amounts of money on the cost of waste disposal.

“From the achievements of a very busy department like our ED, we hope others will learn and follow in activities to make a difference. Simple things such as reviewing use of single use plastic, and turning off computer screens, is something that should be achievable in all areas.”

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