Abbott
September 2024 | 5 min read
As part of Abbott’s ongoing commitment to driving sustainable practice, the Contract Management team have been working closely with NHS Trusts to support them in implementing new initiatives. These initiatives reduce waste and minimise the use of single-use plastics, particularly in the case of plastic-based products such as giving sets and ancillaries.
Abbott’s Hospital2Home service despatches more than 300,000 parcels to patients per year, which contain millions of units of enteral feeding equipment. This includes giving sets - such as Abbott FreeGo giving sets - and ancillaries - such as syringes and extension sets – all of which are vital to support continued patient care at home.
The UK’s National Head of Contracts, Allen Watts, identified Hospital2Home as an area with the potential to make a huge impact in terms of sustainability – aligning with Abbott’s 2030 sustainability plan and serving as a valuable contribution to each Trust’s ESG goals in support of a greener NHS.
Taking a wider view of the service, Allen and the Contract Management team are working closely with Trusts and Health Boards to review their Hospital2Home patients' needs. This involves determining what equipment was most typically required by different patient groups, and identifying instances where giving sets are provided in greater quantities or ancillaries more frequently than are required; also identifying where reusable alternatives, such as syringes could be used.
Christopher Hand, Contract Manager for Wales, Devon and Cornwall, identified unexpected differences in the types of products and quantities different Health Boards used. He arranged a working group with members from all of Abbott’s Wales-based contracts to share best practice and gain further insight into the equipment they each use.
Highlighting the data that showed the differences in ordering behaviour triggered much discussion among Wales HCPs, such as which products are used most often, how long those products last for continued use, and the reasons that some may be selected over others. Bringing these conversations to the fore sparked proactivity among the Trusts, who kick-started a shared channel in which to meet regularly, share best practice on equipment use, and discuss new sustainability projects.
“The ancillary group for Wales has offered an opportunity to dietitians, clinicians and support workers working within home enteral feeding to share, discuss and collaborate on projects around common themes experienced within this clinical area. Although still in it’s infancy, having the opportunity to compare and contrast services, whilst developing ideas with a likeminded group of individuals, the South Wales ancillary group offers staff an appropriate forum for such work to take place.”
Ceri James
Deputy Head of Service, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
The initiative has since escalated nationally across the entirety of Wales, including non-Abbott contracts. This is a hugely positive result that indicates an eagerness among HCPs to collaborate and drive sustainable practice on a wider scale. Based on the success in Wales, Chris has now brought the initiative into Devon and Cornwall, where it has already been received with a great amount of positivity and enthusiasm.
Abbott Contract Managers across the UK are seeking to engage in similar initiatives within their regions. It has been a major focus since the start of 2024 and is just one aspect of Abbott’s larger sustainability goals.
“Our Contract Managers are working with Trusts and alongside healthcare professionals to support them in reviewing and identifying areas in which they can focus on innovating and driving sustainable practice. Abbott is dedicated to facilitating and supporting collaborative initiatives with our partners, just like Chris has done in Wales.”
Allen Watts
National Head of Contracts
Allen’s vision is for sustainable practice to become second nature, embedded within the way we work alongside our contracts. It is a multi-faceted process that affects almost all aspects of the company, and identifying every opportunity to make a tangible impact towards our shared goal is vital to drive progress.
Abbott works alongside our NHS partners to support the implementation of sustainable initiatives, and actively assist HCPs and their teams to report and demonstrate the impact of their achievements within their Trusts. Through recognition of success and the sharing of best practice, we can continue to build on initiatives for a sustainable future, together.
This article provides an insight into how we are working collaboratively with our NHS colleagues to reduce of collective environmental impact.
This article introduces our new reusable 500ml bottles. With a 30-cycle-use, they are pivotal to our commitment to reducing single-use plastics…
Recyclability
Abbott is in the business of helping people live longer and better at all ages and stages of life through good health. Sustainability is an essential part of this, and an essential part of our mission.
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