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Trying to reduce the ecological footprint of an operating theatre is a tough challenge.

蜜桃直播淪o much is disposable, with a lot of water and energy being used,蜜桃直播� says senior theatres nurse and practice educator, Harriet Dean-Orange, who works at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. 蜜桃直播淭here蜜桃直播檚 also a perception that it蜜桃直播檚 a different world, so you can蜜桃直播檛 integrate sustainability because everything must be done in a particular way. But it蜜桃直播檚 a misunderstanding.蜜桃直播�

For Harriet, awareness grew when she first started working in theatres about four years ago. 蜜桃直播淚t was seeing all the bags of waste,蜜桃直播� she recalls. 蜜桃直播淟iterally everything was being put into clinical waste, even sterile packaging. It felt so wrong, when I knew some of this could be recycled.蜜桃直播�

Now she is on a personal mission to make theatres greener, reducing waste, lowering the use of vital resources and boosting recycling. 蜜桃直播淚 think the biggest thing I蜜桃直播檝e done is not stop talking about sustainability,蜜桃直播� says Harriet. 蜜桃直播淚蜜桃直播檝e continually brought new ideas for people to think about and explore. I蜜桃直播檝e also asked questions, for example, why can蜜桃直播檛 you have easily recyclable materials in theatres?蜜桃直播�

Key to her approach is encouraging staff to think about what things are made from, whether plastic, paper, fabric or something else. 蜜桃直播淚t蜜桃直播檚 important for people to understand what it has taken to get these materials to us,蜜桃直播� explains Harriet, who has taken on a voluntary role as an NHS England Sustainability and Health Ambassador. 蜜桃直播淚f staff appreciate that disposable gloves cost X, their carbon footprint is Y and they must also be disposed of in a particular way, it makes them think each time about whether they definitely need to wear them.蜜桃直播�

Gloves too can also be counter-productive in terms of infection control, argues Harriet. 蜜桃直播淏acteria need heat, time and moisture to grow, so wearing gloves for hours on end provides the perfect environment,蜜桃直播� she says. 蜜桃直播淭here蜜桃直播檚 a misconception that once you have your gloves on, you蜜桃直播檙e safe and protecting yourself and the patient. A lot of my work is about challenging these behaviours.蜜桃直播�

A popular initiative has been to stop using polystyrene cups and disposable cutlery. 蜜桃直播淔or me, this was a real gateway,蜜桃直播� says Harriet. 蜜桃直播淚t helped people to connect with what we were trying to do. You wouldn蜜桃直播檛 dream of using these things at home, so why use them at work? For our department alone, the NHS was paying 拢7,000 a year for throwaway cups. Now we have a really good culture of people bringing in their own mugs and showing them off.蜜桃直播�

Other initiatives include segregating waste into four streams, including recyclables, replacing plastic waste containers with cheaper biodegradable alternatives, and reducing the use of plastic bags, including recycling where possible. 蜜桃直播淚 can蜜桃直播檛 emphasise enough the value of having a really well-structured waste management programme in theatres,蜜桃直播� says Harriet.

She has also focused on water usage. 蜜桃直播淗and scrub preparation takes about five or six minutes, with the hot water tap running throughout,蜜桃直播� says Harriet. Now staff are educated about alcohol-based solutions, which have the added benefit of helping to eradicate skin problems, alongside dramatically reducing the volume of water used.

Among the challenges is trying to identify the precise amounts of energy and money they are saving. 蜜桃直播淚t蜜桃直播檚 hard to say to staff, we know you are making a difference, but I can蜜桃直播檛 give you the numbers,蜜桃直播� says Harriet. 蜜桃直播淲e would love to be able to give something concrete back for the efforts that people are making.蜜桃直播�

Another has been challenging the negative attitudes of those staff members who believe it蜜桃直播檚 too difficult, too big to tackle or just not worth it. 蜜桃直播榊ou have to be willing to be unpopular sometimes,蜜桃直播� she says. 蜜桃直播淎nd try to be light-hearted. Doom and gloom never work, so I try and keep a positive and educational stance, shaping the message to the particular audience.蜜桃直播�

For Harriet, it蜜桃直播檚 the small wins that add up. 蜜桃直播淪ustainability isn蜜桃直播檛 about a top down approach - it蜜桃直播檚 a collaborative movement,蜜桃直播� she says. 蜜桃直播淓ven though what we蜜桃直播檝e done so far is small, it蜜桃直播檚 growing and we蜜桃直播檙e becoming known for it. I take a great pride when someone says, 蜜桃直播業 can蜜桃直播檛 believe we used to throw these away蜜桃直播�, and they蜜桃直播檙e re-using it.蜜桃直播�