GLOVES OFF
In 2024, Royal North Shore along with Ryde and Hornsby hospital’s Emergency Departments launched an internationally trialed Gloves Off program, after discovering that 20,029,080 non-sterile gloves were used across the District in 2023. This resulted in 68,631 kg of eCO2 emissions - equivalent to driving around Australia 25 times. Shockingly - millions of those gloves were unnecessary. While gloves are vital in healthcare, the Infection, Prevention and Control (IPAC)Committee at Royal North Shore found that excessive use of gloves was hindering hand hygiene. The Gloves Off program endeavoured to reduce waste, decrease emissions and promote safe hand hygiene habits.
A dynamic communication campaign reinforced this message through training sessions, educational posters near glove dispensers, staff huddle reminders and an informative web page – all emphasising guidelines to empower clinicians on making better choices about glove use and safe hand hygiene. These efforts were aligned to policies and guidelines set out by IPAC and the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC). Our Procurement and Contracts Management Office (PaCMO) is playing a critical role in measuring and reporting glove usage and emissions savings. RNS Emergency Department has saved 69,000 gloves from going to clinical waste streams since November 2024, resulting in over $2,400 in savings and 236 kg of CO e emissions reduced - kudos to all those who were involved in making this initiative a success. 2
REDUCING PLASTIC WITH AN IMPACT
In mid-2024, Royal North Shore Hospital made a significant move towards sustainability by changing the way bottled water is distributed to inpatient wards. Instead of unlimited access, patients now receive up to four bottles per day as part of the meal service. This small shift has significantly helped us to reduce waste, lower costs, and decrease our carbon footprint.
Between May and August 2024, 7,724 bottles got delivered to wards, contributing 1,189.5 kg of eCO ₂ emissions and 146.8 kg of plastic waste. But after implementing the change, these numbers dropped by over 50% to just 3,582 bottles per month, reducing emissions to 551.6 kg eCO ₂ and plastic waste to 68.1 kg. Effectively, we have prevented 78.7 kg of plastic from entering landfill, reduced our carbon emissions by 637.9 kg CO e which is equivalent to driving a quarter of the way around Australia. Furthermore, we have achieved a cost savings of $5,230 in just the first month. 2 By rethinking how we use everyday resources has enabled us to make a real difference to the environment.
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