Reducing financial and environmental costs in the ICU to accelerate Western Health towards a more sustainable health service

Sustainability needs to be at the forefront of healthcare research to combat the climate crisis we find ourselves in. Every day, hospitals across the country throw out unused, unopened consumables that have simply gone out of date on the shelf. This is wasteful, zero value healthcare. This project will review and adjust the purchasing of all consumables in the ICU, ensuring stock never goes to landfill unopened. Scale up across Western Health and statewide using a stock swap meet system will be investigated, and the resulting environmental and monetary savings analysed.

The Critical Care community needs a nursing leader to help drive sustainable ideas throughout intensive cares all over the country. I want to be this leader. By participating in the MacHSR Future Leaders program, I can learn how to be that leader. Western Health Intensive Care Services are already at the forefront of sustainable healthcare but we need strong nursing leaders to push this across Australia.