The OHBP was recently selected as a finalist for the 6th annual Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2021, in the Making a Difference category. Ongoing work by OHBP members to increase sustainability in healthcare practices and reduce environmental pollution from pharmaceuticals was recognised at the virtual ceremony in April.
You can find out more about the Scottish KE awards, finalists, and 2021 ceremony here (link).
NHS Highland, the University of the Highlands and Islands (through ERI), and the cross-sector OHBP were finalists in the Making a Difference category for work to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare practices and promote responsible water use and management at Caithness General Hospital.
NHS Highland, ERI-UHI, and the OHBP carried out a pilot study at Caithness General Hospital – which sought to improve the quality of the water discharged from the hospital into the sewerage system and onwards into the environment, by assessing pharmaceutical loads in it’s discharge and the efficiency of water use within the hospital.
Through this work, Caithness General Hospital become the first hospital in the world to be accredited by the Alliance for Water Stewardship, and receive this benchmark for environmentally and socially responsible water management (verified by independent audit). The hospital drew up a water action plan that will save 33% of water and sewerage costs, generating shared value to Scottish Water in decreased energy use and carbon footprint, and reduced costs to society by decreasing anti-microbial resistance, reducing contamination of the food chain, and mitigating climate change effects on water.
You can read more about the Caithness General Hospital pilot study here (link).
