RecoMed is designed to fit in as seamlessly as possible with existing hospital waste movements and procedures. But to be sure of success, it’s important to put the right foundations in place: Get the right people on board, prepare and plan, evaluate and expand, provide ongoing training and reminders.
Download our guide to setting RecoMed up successfully in your hospital below:
Get the right people on board
Setting up RecoMed successfully in a hospital is a team effort.
Procurement people can check how many items are likely to be available for recycling, assess whether the scheme is viable, and set RecoMed up as a supplier.
Clinical staff, waste/hotel services/facilities teams need to buy into the scheme and agree day-to-day processes.
Sustainability champions can help enthuse and encourage colleagues to recycle material. They are key to ensuring the scheme is implemented smoothly.
Senior management support shows the scheme is important – and can also help overcome administrative hurdles.
Bring the relevant people on board right from the start, and you can incorporate cross-departmental feedback into your plans. You can then agree procedures that work for everyone.
Prepare and plan
The simpler you can make it for people to use the scheme, the more successful it will be.
We’ll work with you to review your procedures and plan the best way to integrate RecoMed into your routine working practices. We recommend starting with one or two trial areas. We’ll provide training for staff from the start.
Evaluate and expand
Once the scheme is up and running, it’s helpful to evaluate how things are working. Bring clinical and services staff together to review progress and consider whether any improvements can be made. Waste management audits of RecoMed bins will also highlight issues. And we’ll provide feedback on any contamination events to help with staff training.
Once a solid and effective routine is established, you can start to roll out the scheme more widely.
Give ongoing training and reminders
Ongoing training for clinical staff helps keep the momentum going and brings new staff members up to speed. We’re happy to run training sessions on-site. The best time for the training is typically during clinical governance training days.
Outside of training sessions, it’s important to maintain a constant focus on avoiding contamination, and to give continuing reminders of what RecoMed can recycle.
To sustain motivation and increase support, it’s also a good idea to share your RecoMed success stories across the hospital. You’ll get regular updates from us on the amount of PVC your teams have recycled and the equivalent number of masks.