18562 Online Quaterly Newsletter V5 SINGLE PAGES - Flipbook - Page 12
11 Sustainability
Covid-19 had a significant impact on
single-use plastic consumption at the start,
and within healthcare facilities, PPE use
grew exponentially. The global production
of PPE also increased at least 300% between
2019 and 2020, during which time the
quantity of import in the UK rose by 606%.
“However, according to the Public Accounts
Committee, millions of pounds was wasted on
PPE that is not ‘fit for purpose’, with 7% of all items
failing quality checks and over 2 billion items
unsuitable for use in medical settings. This highlights
the urgent need for a new approach to PPE.” says
Richard O’Brien, Commercial Director for Healthcare
and Hospitality, Elis UK.
“We saw a number of Trusts championing the use
of reusable PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic,
through a phased roll-out of Reusable Isolation Gowns
developed in conjunction with NHS England and
NHS Improvement (NHSEI). Unlike many imported
disposable alternatives, these garments are fit for
purpose and can be worn and laundered up to 75
times without compromising protection levels. With UK
standards and assurances for the decontamination of
surgical textiles, this presents a compelling argument
that we should be using reusable rather than singleuse drapes and gowns to reduce the risk of infection.
“However, despite a growing awareness of the need
to tackle waste, there are still some healthcare
professionals who favour disposable perioperative
textiles. Often, this comes from an outdated view
that they offer better hygiene and protection levels:
this is simply no longer the case, yet many recent
reviews fail to recognise the technological advances
in fabrics and the introduction of EU standards for
surgical textiles, instead continuing to focus on earlier
studies to support the use of disposable fabrics over
reusable alternatives.
“When reprocessed in Sterile Processing Units (SPUs),
studies show that reusable surgical textiles are just as
effective as disposable alternatives in providing barrier
protection, with stringent decontamination processes
ensuring they offer the same standard of protection
throughout their lifecycle. The introduction of modern
equipment and cleaning methods also means that
resource consumption during reprocessing is now
extremely efficient.
The Thread
