Members of the district’s EDs with their team award at the 2024 Exceptional People Awards
Making emergency departments greener across NSLHD Emergency department (ED) teams across Northern Sydney Local Health District have been recognised for the major strides taken towards greener, more sustainable healthcare.
• Implemented the Sensible Test Ordering project, which aims to reduce unnecessary testing in the EDs such as urinalysis and blood tests in cases where these aren’t required. The teams openly share progress with the district’s Net Zero Clinical Group and sustainability committees and have presented their findings nationally and internationally, including a webinar with the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and a presentation to a Singaporean health delegation. A core member of the group of clinicians is Hornsby Hospital emergency physician Dr Lucy Lutze, who was also named an Exceptional People Award winner in the sustainability individual category for her outstanding contributions to sustainable healthcare in the emergency setting. Lucy said the work she and her colleagues have been doing has been rewarding for the district, and she is proud to be contributing to NSLHD’s journey to net zero. “Driving sustainability in healthcare is about combining evidence with passion to create practical solutions,” she said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see these initiatives not only reduce waste and emissions but also improve patient care and resource use.” The find out more about the Green Teams and Lucy, visit the NSLHD EPA 2024 web page: https://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Careers/ awards/Pages/EPA2024.aspx.
Clinicians from EDs at Royal North Shore, Hornsby, and Ryde hospitals established ‘Green Teams’ and collaborated with the United Kingdom Royal College of Emergency Medicine to launch the GreenED program. After only two years of work, the teams were recently named the team award winners in the environmental sustainability category at the district’s Exceptional People Awards. The green teams’ leadership includes emergency department staff specialists, nurse unit managers, clinical nurse consultants, and facilities managers, ensuring projects meet governance and safety standards. The passionate group of clinicians has delivered more than a dozen projects aimed at reducing emissions, minimising waste, and improving resource use, all without compromising patient care. Since their start in 2023 at Royal North Shore and 2024 at Hornsby and Ryde hospitals, the teams have completed several impressive projects as part of the district’s planetary health efforts. These projects follow a rigorous evidence- based framework from the UK’s Royal College of Emergency Medicine GreenED programme. Together the group have collectively: • Streamlined disaster equipment stock, saving $5000 and redistributing supplies across the department • Rotated $22,000 worth of soon-to-expire medical products through the clinical stock exchange, preventing waste via an exchange intranet web page • Reduced oxygen cylinder use in ED, cutting 1,685 kg of carbon emissions and saving $20,000 each year • Partnered with pharmacy to reduce excess medication stock, saving $6265
• Reused medical equipment, reducing maintenance costs by $8500 annually
Dr Lucy Lutze
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