How the National Performance Advisory Group is helping to shape the future of waste management
The NHS is one of the largest producers of waste in the country, and so it is vital that it is disposed of in a safe, efficient and sustainable manner, and that we only create waste when we absolutely need to.
A year ago, all NHS providers were encouraged to embrace the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy, a ten-year plan to review the materials used by the health service and find ways of re-using, remanufacturing, or recycling them, thus turning them into valuable resources for the future.
The strategy, along with HTM 07-01 and the NHS waste planning tool, were developed to help set the direction, trajectory and speed of change necessary to reach the NHS target of net zero for direct carbon emissions by 2040.
It is impossible to achieve these aims without collaboration across the health service, and one way in which NHS waste managers have been working together is through the National Performance Advisory Group (NPAG)’s Waste Management Best Value Group.
This is a unique group that enables waste managers to meet and share new ideas, evaluate tenders, discuss common problems, measure service providers’ performance, provide cost effective solutions, be creative and innovative in service design and generally network with others involved in the complex area of waste management.
The members have been working with national agencies, such as the Environment Agency and NHS England, and have acted as a sounding board for the development of key policies around sustainable waste streams, such as HTM07-01 and Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC), which comprises information relating to the costs of providing and maintaining the NHS Estate.
The group currently has more than 100 members and they continue to discuss a large and varied agenda, including:
- Clinical Waste Strategy
- HTM 07-01
- Offensive waste stream
- Job Descriptions
- Food waste
- New waste technologies
- Recycling - general/plastic
- IT systems / electrical waste
- Waste tenders
- Regulatory requirements
NOE CPC members can play a vital role in shaping the future of waste management in the NHS and one way they can do this is by joining NPAG’s Waste Management Best Value Group.
For more information, contact Marie Cherry on marie.cherry@npag.eastamb.nhs.uk