15 October 2022
A Wolverhampton based team has proved the grass is greener on its side after winning a nomination at the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Awards 2022.
The Orthotics team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has been awarded the Greener AHP award 2022 from Greener NHS at the CAHPO Awards which took place on Thursday evening (13 October).
The team sees on average 13,000 patients per year at New Cross Hospital and has introduced numerous greener ways of working which include;
- Telehealth (an electronic healthcare system accessed by 50 per cent of the patients)
- changing packaging from its supplier
- partnering with an external company to send used orthoses (items such as a brace or splint) to developing countries
- implementing separate waste bins
- using recyclable materials
- adopting paperless triaging and ward logs.
This collaborative work has saved 151.913 miles of patients' travel, a reduction of 5.621 car parking spaces and a reduction of 28 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the local area.
Dr Nicky Eddison (PhD), AHP Research Lead and Staffordshire University Associate Professor said: “I am delighted that our orthotics team has been recognised by the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer with a national award for all the hard work it has done in changing the way our orthotics service functions in terms of the green agenda and sustainability.
“Our success wouldn’t have been possible without the vision of Kate Pugh (orthotic clerk) and the drive of both Kate and Ndana Mupawaenda (orthotic clerk) who led by example and inspired others. It just shows how much our administration teams have to offer!
“It’s also important to acknowledge the support from our corporate partner, Beagle Orthopaedics. Beagle representative Katie Knowles listened to our plans and worked hard to make our vision a reality.
“Finally, the support from Janet Smith (Head of sustainability) was invaluable. Janet was so encouraging and really believed in the team. I am incredibly proud of the orthotics team.”
AHPs are the third largest clinical workforce in the NHS. The awards provide an opportunity to highlight their incredible work and demonstrate the vital role they play in delivering the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
CAHPO Award nominations are made for all members of the AHP community, including support workers, assistant practitioners, registered professionals, pre-registration apprentices and students.
The awards also promote adoption and dissemination of good practice being delivered by nominated AHPs and gives teams the chance to review their work and look at the impact they have made to services.
