Mapping Greener HealthcareMapping Greener Healthcare

Goal: To reduce the amount of time spent on irrelevant care plans amounting to high quantities of paperwork for staff.

Background: Falcon Ward identified that significant amounts of avoidable paper work were being completed by staff. This time spent on unnecessary paperwork could be used on patient care and increase staff satisfaction. A staff survey run on the ward found that 80% of staff were dissatisfied with current documentation procedures, 90% of staff spent almost an hour or above on evaluation work including completing paper work during lunch- breaks or out of working hours, and 90% of staff supported a change in evaluation procedure.

Approach:

1. The paper work procedure was re-evaluated

2. Staff will begin to use an evaluation form reduced in size

3. The project is yet to be completed and further details of implementation will be available in future

Savings:

The weekly amount of paper used on evaluation was 787 sheets, based on estimates of paper use reducing to 2 sheets per patient, an estimates 687 sheets of paper would be saved a week. This adds up to 34,350 sheets of paper per year, saving £103 worth of paper procurement and £15 in paper disposal per year. This equates to 143 kgCO2e avoided per year. Based on estimates, 22 hours a week of staff time could be saved on evaluation, this amounts to 1,100 hours and £13,901 per year. Total yearly savings amount to £14,019 and 143kgCO2e.