SRPe / NHS National Green Theatres Programme: Collaboration Workshop

 

Presenting: Claire Ordoyno, SRPe Executive Director

On 12th Dec ‘24 SRPe held a joint collaborative workshop with the NHS National Green Theatres Programme (NGTP).

The National Green Theatres Programme, led by the National Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), aims to reduce the carbon footprint of operating theatres across NHS Scotland and enable more environmentally sustainable care by working with clinicians, subject matter experts and professionals to develop actions that reduce carbon emissions and supporting Boards to implement, measure and report on these improvements.

Hosted at the Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, the workshop brought expert academics in Health & Care engineering from the SRPe partner universities together with NHS Clinicians and Managers, as well as Scottish Government representatives, to identify areas of synergy between the academic research ongoing across the SRPe network and the NGTP challenges where there is a need for engineering input.

Presenting: David Taggart, Head of Climate Change Delivery, NHS National Green Theatres Programme

Presenting: Prof Trish Connolly, SRPe Engineering for Health & Care Theme Chair

The workshop got underway with a series of keynote presentations. Claire Ordoyno, SRPe Executive Director, began by introducing the workshop objectives and giving an overview of the role SRPe plays in bringing together academia, industry and public bodies to maximise research impact and economic development in Scotland.

Prof Trish Connolly, Chair of the SRPe Engineering for Health and Care Theme , then gave an overview of the breadth and depth of surgical and healthcare engineering research taking place across Scotland’s leading universities.  Next David Taggart, Head of Climate Change Delivery for the National Green Theatre Programme, outlined the work being undertaken to achieve the NGTP’s aim of reducing the carbon footprint of theatres across NHS Scotland and enabling more environmentally sustainable care – from replacing single-use items such as surgical gloves and gowns with reusable alternatives to more energy efficient use of hospital HVAC systems.

The afternoon was devoted to breakout sessions with Prof Marc Desmulliez, SRPe Engineering for Health & Care Theme member for Heriot-Watt University, introducing the topics of ‘Hospital of the Future’, ‘Waste to Net-Zero’, ‘The Mobile Theatre and Hospital at Home’ and ‘Greening of Consumables and Equipment’. From the lively and engaging group discussions, a strong consensus emerged identifying the need for better access to Data and a centring of the patients’ needs as key requirements in designing future green healthcare technologies and infrastructure.

Panel - left to right: Prof Trish Connolly - SRPe Engineering for Health & Care Theme Chair, Dr Kenneth Barker - Clinical Lead, CfSD, Prof Marc Marc Desmulliez - SRPe Engineering for Health & Care Theme, Heriot-Watt University, Dr Phil Korsah - National Associate Clinical Director, CfSD

Claire Ordoyno. SRPe Executive Director

The workshop was the first event in an ongoing collaboration between SRPe and the National Green Theatres Programme, and the outputs will be used to design follow-on collaborative events.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY HERE

 
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