Farnborough, United Kingdom – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, has partnered with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) to identify key opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint and waste material at the intensive care unit (ICU) at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
The work is understood to be the first time a global company such as Phillips has collaborated with an NHS trust in this way, using its clinical and environmental expertise in sustainability to identify efficiency improvements with the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of a critical care department. The key areas highlighted by the team for enhancing sustainable care were: Following the analysis, the Trust has implemented a number of recommended initiatives including staff reminders on sustainability requirements and environmental impact from activities; prevention of unnecessary waste; ensuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use is appropriate to each patient and not a blanket policy; and actively no longer treating patients as a medical issue – de-medicalisation - as their health improves.
A team of nine clinical and environmental specialists from Philips has worked with the Trust over six months. It analysed data; interviewed clinical staff including physicians and nurses; and undertook shadowing and observation sessions relating to clinical workflow, supply chain and procurement, medical technology and staff and patient experience. The results have formed a blueprint to drive further change and improvement across the Trust, in line with the NHS’s overall target of being the world’s first net zero national health service by 2040.
The analysis has been developed as part of an existing 14-year strategic agreement between Philips and the Trust, initially focused on support for its radiology services. Critical care was chosen as a focus area because it represents a significant portion of the NHS carbon footprint and is one of the most expensive types of care.
Philips took time to undertake quantitative analysis which validated our suspicions and provided outputs we could present back to the wider Trust. The quality of care we provide on the unit has gone up because of the work, as well as through the direct way we serve certain groups of patients. For example, by looking at patient flow and de-medicalisation of patients, we are helping to ease demand on critical care by adjusting medication, removing monitoring that is no longer required and moving patients onto new pathways, in a positive way.
Dr Richard Hixson
Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care medicine at CDDFT
Healthcare providers now have the responsibility to safeguard both our well-being and our environment, with climate change and human health working hand in hand. This first of kind partnership between Philips and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is an important milestone in the race to reach net zero and provide more sustainable care. As the first 360 sustainability assessment for the NHS, this collaboration shows the potential of finding solutions that care for patients, our health workforce, and the planet all at once, helping to create more resilient health systems for the future."
Mark Leftwich
Managing Director UK and Ireland
As a leading health technology company, Philips is committed to improving people's health and healthcare outcomes, as well as making care more accessible, inclusive, connected, and sustainable.
It is globally recognised for its long-standing commitment to the way it runs its company with regard to the environment, its social impact and its corporate governance track record. Philips is also the first health technology company to set validated science-based carbon emission reduction targets under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the official body that validates climate targets.
For more information, read the full case study “Working Together to Green Critical Care”.
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring, and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2022 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Dominique Monaghan
UKI Communications and PR Manager
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