Sustainable Innovation In Cataract Surgery: A Groundbreaking Initiative By Royal Free London Nhs Trust To Reduce Carbon Footprint And Promote Environmental Stewardship
Published 2024 - 42nd Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PP27.03 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/3yej-3n72
Authors: Radhika Rampat* 1 , Matthew Azzopardi 1 , Rohit Jolly 1 , Iain Reid 2
1Ophthalmology,Royal Free London NHS Trust,London,United Kingdom, 2Ophthalmology,Rayner,London,United Kingdom
Purpose
To address and mitigate the considerable carbon footprint associated with cataract surgery within our NHS trust.
Setting
Royal Free London NHS Trust, London, UK
Methods
An extensive audit was conducted focusing on instrument breakage and unsuitability post-sterilization. Results revealed a 13% instrument replacement need. Costs of current single use instruments were compared with costs of proposed recyclable instruments as well as cost of incineration of the disposable single use instruments.
Results
The adoption of high-quality stainless-steel recyclable single-use instruments (HASA Optix) was initiated in collaboration with Rayner, U.K. Medisort (Healthcare waste and disposal management), a local company, facilitated instrument collection and utilized a robot-assisted process for sterilization and recycling into sheet metal, beams, and bars.
Conclusions
This innovative approach not only successfully offsets the surgery-related carbon footprint but also leads to substantial financial savings by avoiding incineration costs whilst delivery high quality care to patients. The Royal Free London NHS Trust is now the first NHS Trust to formally embrace this sustainable practice within Ophthalmology.