Scrapping of unit dedicated to cutting PPE waste ‘short-sighted’, says boss

HSJ  understands the PPE innovation and sustainability team was scrapped at the start of April after government funding ran out. Its work included looking at moving away from single-use plastic products and reducing waste. 

Paul Chivers, who led the now-disbanded team, toldHSJ: “I’m a little bit frustrated. It feels very short-sighted.”

NHSSC said it was creating new teams that would continue its work on environmental issues more broadly. However, Mr Chivers said he was concerned nobody would continue his work as “I haven’t spent five minutes doing any handover to anybody”. 

Mr Chivers said the team had been cut down to three people – including himself – when it moved to NHS Supply Chain from the Department of Health and Social Care. He estimated running the team cost the organisation less than £300,000 a year.

The NHS distributes billions of items of PPE every year. It has signalled a long-term ambition to move to reusable PPE products that are produced domestically in a bid to reduce its environmental impact. 

The health service has also pledged to be net zero for all emissions. A Greener NHS document, setting out this agenda, acknowledged that the health service’s single-use PPE usage had significantly increased due to the pandemic, but work was under way to encourage more sustainability.

The document said: “Working with our partners to encourage a greater focus towards sustainably sourced and innovative PPE, the NHS will over time focus on PPE that meets the criteria for an improved sustainability profile. Examples of this are the procuring of made-for-reuse PPE items, including masks and gowns.”

A NHS Supply Chain spokeswoman said: “As part of our new target operating model, we are creating a supplier development team which will have greater expertise in UK manufacturing, and a broader environmental and sustainability team.”

She added: “These teams will take forward NHS Supply Chain’s work on innovation and sustainability covering its full scope of medical devices and consumables.”