Surplus NHS supplies find new life helping those in need

On occasion you may wish to upload items to the Warp It system and reserve, or keep them on hold, before they are released on the live marketplace.

Here’s a quick guide to show you how to do this:

Right from the start of your reuse journey, it’s a good idea to track your experiences. In this article, we’re going to tell you why, and help you explore your story in a way that doesn’t take up too much of your valuable time.

The Guy and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has donated nearly 1,700 hospital uniforms, worth £25,000, to the Sylvia Lanka Foundation for use in hospitals in Sri Lanka.

Wait, hold up, does that make sense? Why on Earth would we be telling you to stop what you’re doing?

Reusing lab and medical equipment and medical research or biomedical devices has proven challenging in the past.

This is because these devices, equipment, and machines are often highly technical pieces of kit with variable specifications, meaning there are many more critical factors to consider when reusing in comparison to office furniture and stationery demands.

For example, some lab and medical equipment may include dangerous parts and require special training to operate. Others may or require a user manual, or legal, maintenance, and service documentation.

The parameters and standards affecting the reuse of lab equipment must be considered, including the management of biological and chemical safety and decontamination.

Following our lab consultation in March 2022 we partnered with The University of Queensland to increase the rate and improve the safe facilitation of the reuse of lab, and medical and biomedical equipment.

In summary, we’ve added extra categories to ensure all relevant details can be included when uploading items to the Warp It redistribution system.

We have also added a holding facility where lab kit can be checked over before going live on the market, to ensure accuracy and safety.

This update will ensure a new lease of life for lab equipment in a safe and coordinated way, while making the process easier for reuse admins, and those responsible for transporting these items.

Read on for guidance on how to access this feature.

Buying pre-loved items is becoming increasingly popular, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and a better awareness of its environmental benefits.

So, you’ve had a lightbulb bulb moment on how you think you can improve sustainability in your organisation. It might be a new idea, or a way to enhance an existing reuse project.

There has been an upsurge in discarding hospital textile and fabric-covered chairs and soft furnishings, with many health organisations opting to use wipeable furniture that more easily meets infection control policies and procedures.

A newsletter is a brilliant way to build trust with the right people, get them involved with your reuse project, and spread the word.

Whether you want staff to adopt reuse and sustainability practices, improve the image of your department, demonstrate procurement value, or shout about your reuse achievements, cultivating an authentic connection using a regular, well-produced newsletter can help you communicate your key messages to the right people. 

Below we explain how to get started with a newsletter, and how it can help reach your behaviour change, culture change, and influence targets.

As a free download at the end you'll get:

• 16 top tips. Don't make the mistakes we did.
• Newsletter strategy plan. Understand where you are going and how to get there.
• Newsletter action plan. Each time you do a newsletter use this action plan to help.

Why bother?

You're probably trying to bring change within your organisation, encourage reuse, and share details of your project successes, and how to get involved. You want to make things better, improve processes, and make your organisation more sustainable.

To do that you need to communicate your objectives in a palatable, persuasive way on a regular basis to as many relevant people as possible. 

People are positively influenced by other people that they know and trust. We have talked about this in the past.

A newsletter is a brilliant way to target your reuse messages and calls to action to those that matter, and cut through the noise of other news from your organisation. If you do it right, it'll require minimum time input for maximum impact.