The environmental sustainability agenda is an important focus for the network, as pathology creates a lot of single-use plastics and uses lots of energy, so there is plenty of scope for reducing storage requirements and improving efficiency.
The network has established a Pathology Sustainability Group , with good attendance from labs and trust leads. It has already started a stocktake of environmental actions happening around the peninsula which is identifying ideas that can be spread elsewhere. Here are a few examples:
- We are contacting suppliers about packaging, looking at potential ways to reduce or recycle plastic waste. At Royal Cornwall NHS Hospitals Trust (RCHT), they receive almost 780,000 specimen bags each year from GP surgeries at their Blood Sciences Laboratories. They've implemented the Indexor plastic reduction solution, which is not only drastically cutting the amount of plastic required, but also streamlining the processing of samples. All surgeries now use Indexor and it is being tested in Plymouth.
- Also in Cornwall, the Open Skies project has been exploring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles - such as drones - in the transport of pathology and pharmacy samples / blood products, drugs, equipment and consumables. This ground-breaking approach could help serve rural and isolated communities, including the Isles of Scilly, and reduce carbon emissions. Read more in this blog for the Royal College of Pathologists by RCHT Pathology Service Manager Lisa Vipond, and Optimisation Project Lead Jo Walsh.
- Nationally, the use of My Green Lab has led to improvements. This not-for-profit organisation provides programmes and accreditation standards, led by scientists, for anyone working in laboratory environments to help reduce waste. They are also one of the partners promoting the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, bringing labs from 195 countries together to promote the most energy efficient cold storage options.
