South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new wound care initiative which is good for both its patients and the environment.
Eligible patients at The James Cook University Hospital are being given bags to help support them, hospital staff and community teams with managing their dressings when they are discharged home.
The trial funded by Our Hospitals Charity, makes it easier for patients and teams to keep their dressings and wound care together in one place while promoting continuity of care and communication between the patient, ward staff and the community teams or care homes staff.
Great for the environment
The bags are made of potato starch meaning patients are able to put them in their compost bin or in their green waste bin when they have reached the end of their usable life span.
Unlike normal plastic or biodegradable plastic bags, that still allow for micro plastics to leach into the environment, these 100% compostable bags will fully decompose within a few months when exposed to soil.
Tissue viability nurse Julie Hepplewhite and Sam Davison and Sarah Stafford from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s procurement team, created the design for the bags which have been produced by a UK-based company supporting greener initiatives.
This is a great opportunity to enhance the care and communication for our patients and clinical teams whilst driving the national sustainability agenda. We are really grateful for the support from Our Hospitals Charity for funding the project.”
Clinical procurement specialist nurse Sam Davison