Sustainability efforts rewarded with bronze award

We’re delighted to have received a prestigious environmental award following an eco-friendly campaign to cut emissions, waste and costs.

The team here at Kentdale has recently celebrated a bronze award from Investors in the Environment after a concerted sustainability push.

Investors in the Environment (iiE) is a national environmental accreditation scheme designed to help organisations reduce their impact on the environment.

RVN and sustainability lead Kirsty Powell has spearheaded our sustainability push and said: “The experience has been very eye-opening, and I could not be prouder of my team of eco-warriors!

“Together, we have implemented incredible changes, and I’m lucky to work with like-minded colleagues.

“It really has been a team effort and a fantastic commitment to create and implement an eco-friendly policy to reduce our environmental impact.”

One of our first green initiatives was the introduction of reusable scrub hats for all operating theatre staff, saving around 1,600 disposable hats a year from becoming medical waste.

We even secured the hats from a supplier that donates part of its income from each order to designated charities!

Other key projects that saw us achieve our bronze award include eradicating the use of nitrous oxide throughout the hospital and removing plastic trays and bowls from surgical packs.

Sharon Murtagh, hospital director, said: “The team at Kentdale recognises that businesses influence the environment in many ways, and that’s why we are committed to the constant improvement of our environmental performance.

“We are proud to be working with iiE, and achieving this bronze status is a great reward for the team’s combined efforts.

“We are now already looking at new ways to make further improvements to build on this award and achieve the iiE’s silver award.”

The Investors in the Environment annual audit consists of assessing five key areas of an organisation’s Environmental Management System (EMS). These include:

  • Environmental policy
  • Resource management and monitoring
  • Progress against targets
  • Action planning, including social/environmental projects
  • Communication