Case Study

Royal Oldham Hospital

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122 Hours of Clinical Staff Time Saved Annually

“Sharpsmart’s support at Royal Oldham has been a game-changer. By introducing reusables and the offensive waste stream, we’ve not only made sharps disposal safer and more compliant, but we’ve also freed up over 120 hours of clinical time annually – that’s time that goes straight back into patient care. Their team’s proactive approach during install, including training and labelling has ensured a smooth transition with immediate results.”

Paul Corr – Group Head of Waste and Recycling, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

The Challenge

Part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal Oldham Hospital is located in the Coldhurst area of Oldham in Greater Manchester.

Hospital staff were having challenges with their supply of sharps containers and had recognised the need for a safer, more reliable system. With no support from the incumbent waste service provider, they looked to Sharpsmart for assistance. It was during one of our audits that it was identified that the lack of dedicated sharps containers had resulted in blue containers being placed in the wrong locations and used for sharps waste disposal.

Royal Oldham Hospital was also being charged a set fee for their waste collection instead of being charged by waste weight – this old fashioned estimated pricing method was leading to inflated costs as well as an overall lack of transparency.

Our Approach

Step 1

Royal Oldham Hospital was already familiar with Sharpsmart and our service offering, as we were already partnered with Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield General Hospital – also members of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

The initial scope with the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust had been to roll out the Sharpsmart reusable system to the smaller sites across the Trust and community locations.

Step 2

When Sharpsmart surveyed the hospital, sharps waste was found in blue pharmaceutical waste containers throughout the site, and they were being incorrectly placed in clinical areas due to the supply issues they were experiencing.

During the Sharpsmart reusables installation process, we also introduced the offensive waste stream throughout the hospital to improve segregation, reducing both CO2e and costs.

Step 3

We conducted audits and ward walks throughout Royal Oldham Hospital, and during the installation of our reusables, we took the opportunity of being in the clinical areas to provide on-site training and bin relabelling – emphasising the correct containers to use for each waste type produced in each department.

The Solution

Installation of Sharpsmart reusables
Introduction of the offensive waste stream
Staff training and education
Easy-to-scan labels for all waste receptacles

The Outcome

As a result of switching to Sharpsmart’s reusable system, Royal Oldham’s annual container use in the first year went from:

12,888 containers, to 9,960 – a 22.7% decrease

With sharps container exchanges calculated at the average speed of 2.5 minutes per turn, Royal Oldham Hospital has saved:

An annual 122 hours of clinical staff time

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