Two sustainability projects at Chesterfield Royal Hospital have received Gold awards for their innovative approaches to reducing waste and making better use of NHS resources.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Derbyshire Support and Facilities Services (DSFS) have taken home two Gold awards at the Awards for Excellence in Waste Management for the NHS in England 2026.

The teams received Gold in both categories in which they were finalists:

• Best Reduction of Single Use Items, recognising work to deconstruct cannula packs and reduce unnecessary single-use products.
• Best Reuse Initiative of the Year, recognising an innovative project encouraging the return and reuse of hospital-issued pyjamas and linen.

The Best Reduction of Single Use Items award recognised the successful deconstruction of cannula packs used across the Trust.

Cannula packs were originally introduced to help standardise practice and support infection prevention. However, a subsequent review found opportunities to maintain these important safety standards while reducing unnecessary products within the packs.

Working collaboratively across clinical teams, infection prevention, procurement and education, the project reviewed how each component was used and moved towards individually supplied items where appropriate.

The change has delivered an impressive £145,683 in recurrent savings, alongside an estimated 102.6-tonne reduction in CO₂e emissions.

Importantly, these benefits have been achieved while maintaining patient safety, with the new approach proving practical for colleagues to use and well supported in clinical practice.

 Gold was also awarded for the Trust’s Linen Return Project in the Best Reuse Initiative of the Year category.

The initiative was developed after identifying that hospital-issued pyjamas and linen taken home by patients were not routinely being returned. A simple return process was introduced, encouraging patients to wash the items and bring them back when attending their next outpatient appointment, allowing them to be returned to the Trust’s standard laundering cycle and reused.

During an initial 12-week period, 233 items were successfully returned, resulting in an estimated reduction of almost 3.5 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.

The initiative demonstrates how a relatively simple change can reduce unnecessary waste and associated costs while keeping valuable resources within the NHS.

Both Gold awards reflect the Trust and DSFS’s continued commitment to finding practical ways of improving sustainability while ensuring changes remain clinically safe and deliver value for patients and the wider NHS.

The projects also demonstrate the importance of ideas from colleagues on the frontline, with teams encouraged to identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve the way resources are used as part of everyday quality improvement.

Sally Ludditt, Senior Health, Safety & Environmental Advisor for DSFS said: “Winning Gold for both projects is a fantastic achievement and recognition of the work colleagues have put into finding practical ways to reduce waste across the Trust. What makes these projects particularly rewarding is that they show sustainability doesn’t always have to mean making huge changes. By looking carefully at how we use our resources and challenging whether there is a better way of doing things, relatively simple ideas can have a significant impact.

“To see both projects recognised nationally is something everyone involved should be really proud of, and hopefully it will encourage even more colleagues to bring forward their own ideas for reducing waste and improving sustainability.”

Steve Hustler, DSFS Director of Operations, added: “We are incredibly proud to see these two initiatives receive Gold awards. They are great examples of what can be achieved when our DSFS colleagues work alongside clinical teams across the Trust to identify opportunities and turn good ideas into meaningful improvements.

“Congratulations to everyone who has played a part in making these projects such a success.”

Steve Heppinstall, Chief Finance Officer, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “These two Gold awards are fantastic recognition of our colleagues’ commitment to continually improving how we work. The results speak for themselves, with significant reductions in waste and carbon emissions alongside substantial recurrent financial savings from the cannula project.

“This is exactly the kind of improvement we want to encourage at Chesterfield Royal, where good ideas from our colleagues can improve efficiency and sustainability while maintaining the quality and safety of the care we provide. Every resource we use more effectively ultimately helps us deliver better value for our patients and our wider community, and I’d like to congratulate everyone involved.”