T W I S T and shout: Targeting Waste Inside Theatres Game from Chase Farm Hospital

Summary

Waste in the operating theatre costs money and is harmful to the environment. Reducing waste in the NHS is paramount if we want to reduce costs and help save the planet!

Content

This initiative was set up by theatre nurse, Carol Menashy, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust. It is a fun game to get staff in the operating theatre to really think about cost and wastage within theatres. While playing the game – Twist and Shout, by the Beatles is played.

Attached are some fun exercises with shopping lists for various procedures where teams vie to get the closest estimate to the actual cost. Worked out by senior staff. Nearest team wins a box of toffees.

Also, we do a cost awareness exercise audit fun day. Monthly audit of the cost buster bin where out of date items or items opened in error is audited monthly to see how much we are wasting and aiming to improve. The bin is placed inside the stock room.

Here are some template questions you could use or make up your own depending on what surgeries you undertake. I'd love to hear from anyone who tries it out or from anyone who has similar initiatives.