Reducing plastic use in our Laboratories
At UHP, our laboratory analyse samples from patients in the Hospital as well as other NHS settings, such as GP services, from across Devon and Cornwall. The ‘traditional’ method for transportation involves packing samples in several single use plastic bags which are collected by our courier service to be taken to Derriford. The laboratory at Derriford received approximately 7,000-8,000 samples a day, half of which come from GP practices. After use, all plastic bags would be sent for incineration to reduce the risk of infection.
In their strive to reduce plastic usage and create a more efficient process, the laboratory team started looking at alternative options and came across a racking system called Indexor developed by Abbott Laboratories Ltd. The system eliminates plastic bag use through space efficient racks which travel with the samples through the system, from GP surgeries to the laboratory.
The Indexor system also enables us to maintain the quality of the sample taken at a primary care source throughout its journey to the laboratory at UHP by recording temperature, transport time frames and excessive G force vibration. The system also enables time sensitive priority samples to be identified on receipt in the laboratory to aid timely processing of samples.
The journey starts where samples are collected. GP’s have access to the Indexor mini rack which is given an identity, and samples are recorded into that rack up until collection. In the laboratory, the rack is docked into the main Indexor system, which will provide information such as sample location in the rack and travel data. Indexor then links in with the Trust’s patient test logging system to look up patient details and register the samples into the laboratory IT system. This process has greater efficiency, and booking-in time has reduced from roughly 7 hours of manual processing to 45 minutes using the Indexor system, dramatically improving turnaround time and freeing up staff for other roles.
Currently 14 GP practices are now using this system, along with out UHP phlebotomy clinic and the community phlebotomy clinic currently based at Future Inn. When rollout is complete, around 42 out of 60 practices will be using this system which will cover around 96% of all GP samples. Based on 2100 samples from 42 GP sites, we would save 331,620 plastic sample bags, or 6,072kg of plastic per year, equating to 43,631kg carbon!
