Waste in the NHS

[Brad93]

There is no surprise the NHS spends billions.

Had another toenail dissected today.

They open up a kit for doing toenails. Housed in two or three layers of plastic and material, inside a big Tupperware box.

High quality surgical scissors to cut through the nail, two pairs of high quality forceps, two pairs of toothed tweezers, pair of flat tweezers, metal dish/tray, various scalpels, various other bits and bobs.

Used one set of forceps and the scissors, binned the rest.

I asked to keep the forceps and tweezers for use in the workshop, no can do. They can’t give it away, has to go in the bin!!!

Mental state our country.

 

[Kayos]

I thought they sterilised metal stuff?

 

[daleyd]

Usually goes through an autoclave to get sterilised - it may go in “a bin” but really I think it goes away to get sorted as to what goes into clinical waste and what gets sterilised to reuse again.

 

[Brad93]

Usually goes through an autoclave to get sterilised - it may go in “a bin” but really I think it goes away to get sorted as to what goes into clinical waste and what gets sterilised to reuse again.

It got chucked in a yellow bin with all the bloody gauze and needles.

 

[daleyd]

It got chucked in a yellow bin with all the bloody gauze and needles.

Yeah - I think that’s what goes to get sorted for recycling, as clinical waste.

 

[Shox Dr]

Yup, I required stitches a few yrs back, same thing. Only they let me keep the ‘tools’

 

[WorkshopChris]

As far as I am aware it's just burnt as clinical waste, at the moment I have to have dressings changed every other day, it's been going on for months, the stainless tweezers are new each time and thrown away afterwards.
I must have gone through hundreds of pairs, occasionally they will use plastic ones but they are much larger.
Some of the specialised bits used for dressings either come in packs containing more items than are required or sizes far too big and one small part is cut off and used and the rest thrown away each time.

 

[Brad93]

Yup, I required stitches a few yrs back, same thing. Only they let me keep the ‘tools’
View attachment 193021

Yep those tweezers with teeth are what they had. Forceps were similar. Scissors were different.

Really wanted those forceps.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

There is no surprise the NHS spends billions.

Had another toenail dissected today.

They open up a kit for doing toenails. Housed in two or three layers of plastic and material, inside a big Tupperware box.

High quality surgical scissors to cut through the nail, two pairs of high quality forceps, two pairs of toothed tweezers, pair of flat tweezers, metal dish/tray, various scalpels, various other bits and bobs.

Used one set of forceps and the scissors, binned the rest.

I asked to keep the forceps and tweezers for use in the workshop, no can do. They can’t give it away, has to go in the bin!!!

Mental state our country.

Wife's homebirth kit was unused as she ended up in maternity.
Told to throw it away.

Some nice bits for the garage in there

 

[daleyd]

Yep those tweezers with teeth are what they had. Forceps were similar. Scissors were different.

Really wanted those forceps.

I might have some sets here, I’ll have a look and let you know

 

[maz0]

“The English Surgeon” was an interesting glimpse into that. Brain surgeon who travels to Ukraine to donate his time and skills to their overwhelmed health service. He would take the drill bits used to open skulls from his UK brain surgeries £80 each and disposed after one use normally. His friend would take him to the market to buy a second hand old bosch drill so he could do the surgery, worlds apart from his state of the art theatre in London.

We really are lucky with our NHS, but the wastage is so sickening. All based on contracts and shenanigans that would drive you crazy if you knew the details.

 

[Craig-SM]

My brother works as a porter for the NHS. One of the jobs he used to enjoy was waste collection. They would fill at least one of those big roll on/off skips every other day. Lots of things he took home and kept me in latex gloves for a long while. There were lots of new stuff that were still sealed and in date that just got binned because they didn't want them anymore or the stock was removed to make way for a new supplier. I would often get a call from him asking if I could pick him from work, which normally meant he had something that was too big to go on his motorbike. One of the more bizarre things was a Karcher diesel pressure washer. The hospital had binned three of them including spare lances, all fully working.

 

[bricol]

Id guess the chance of one previously enjoyed tool slipping through without sterilisation, leading to infection, multi-million pound court case means it's cheaper to use new each time.

 

[daleyd]

I think it depends on their use and probably also hospital/trust policy. I was at hsdu in Wrexham hospital a few weeks ago and there were baskets of instruments going through the autoclaves (our chart recorders are used on the autoclaves, they have to record each cycle to ensure it reaches the required temperature/time profile to kill any nasties.)

I’m not saying they don’t waste, but certainly some stuff gets re used.

 

[Brad93]

This was in our local doctors so doubt they have the sterilisation equipment.

 

[bigegg]

its probably cheaper to dispose than sterlise - especially for the small amounts in a GPs, rather than in a hospital

 

[octo0072000]

I thought they sterilised metal stuff?

not any more costs more to sterilise and repack than to buy new i have asked this question before at A&E this was Doncaster

 

[Hitch]

Paying someone to drive round and collect, log, the items, check them, sterilise, re pack, redistribute, has to be more than cost of a new set I'd think.

 

[angellonewolf]

^^^as above just quicker typing than me and add to that insurance and denyability spelt wrong but get the meaning adds to the cost

and when going to the tip will get sorted removing the metal to be recycled to be reused again for something else

 

[Olderisbetter]

My dad used to have a foot clinic person come out once a month and they used to have a sealed pack with nail clippers in that went straight in a contaminated waste bin after use, They were really nice quality and i did ask to keep a set but they said it was against rules but after i said i did his finger nails 3 pairs fell out of the nice ladies bag....that was over 10 years ago but they are still going strong..