Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Trust


Our Approach
Sharpsmart confirmed that all healthcare waste generated within the hospital’s clinical areas was being consigned as clinical waste and then incinerated. After conducting a comprehensive analysis of waste disposal processes within the Trust, it was estimated that Sharpsmart could divert 50% of this into a more compliant waste stream – without compromising quality or safety.
Trust worked with key stakeholders across the hospital (including infection control, Nursing Managers and Health & Safety) in order to implement the Sharpsmart reusable sharps system throughout the hospital. The fact that the containers are pre-assembled greatly minimised preparation time for nursing staff.
The reusable nature of the Sharpsmart has been peer-reviewed and studied to find that use of this system decreases CO2 emisions by 91% – futher contributing to the Trust’s sustainability goals.
A year after the Sharpsmart sharps disposal system was introduced, with an observed 10% savings on sharps management costs in cmparison to the previous single-use plastic system, the Trust implemented Sharpsmart’s Bag-to-Bedside system.
This system enforcing proper waste segregation and allowed point-of-use disposal, helping the Trust signigicantly reduce costs and minimize the risk of cross-contamintation. The Bag-to-Bedside system also meant that waste was being removed from the patient environment in areas where possible – leading to an increase in safety and infection control.
Inital findings showed a general lack of education around waste handling techniques meant that no substantial disposal methods had been implemented in order to ensure the Trust was following the waste hierarchy.
Sharpsmart provided an auditing system that allowed the Trust to see exactly what was being put into which healthcare waste container for disposal. The audits helped staff understand the root cause of some of the waste segregation issues they were experiencing. Correct waste segregation not only drives efficiency but lowers overall total costs because everything is being disposed of properly.
Let's Talk!
Your time is valuable, and we don’t want to play hard to get. You can either phone us directly on the details listed on our contact page, or feel free to fill out this short form and one of our team members will get back to you as quickly as possible.