Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust wins clinical sustainability award for second year in a row

It has won the clinical category at the Sustainability Partnership Awards for the introduction of coolsticks, which have replaced ethyl chloride sprays used in the assessment of regional anaesthesia.

The coolsticks are now widely used within operating theatres and labour wards to test how epidurals and local anaesthetics are affecting patients’ sensory responses.

Each can of ethyl chloride spray has a short lifespan and when empty, may not be recycled. It also contains a gas which remains in the atmosphere for up to two months. Before arriving in Northumberland, the spray has to travel 1,8000 km from where it is manufactured, which has damaging effects on the environment.

The solution is coolsticks, manufactured in the UK, which are stored in a standard fridge to keep cool. They are also reusable so have helped cut the trust’s carbon emissions down thousands of times over. On top of environmental benefits, they also save money for the trust, with the annual cost having dropped by around £10,000.

Dr Winkley, Northumbria Healthcare clinical lead for sustainability, said: “We’re really pleased to have won this award and hope it encourages other trusts to think about switching.

“Everyone here has taken on board the many environmental, patient and cost benefits of introducing coolsticks. An initial trial saw no negative feedback from staff or patients.

“Finding new innovative products which support excellent clinical care, without a detrimental impact on the environment, is key to the NHS reaching net zero.”