Sustainable Futures Innovation Fund recipients

2024

Low carbon models of care

• Western Sydney Local Health District - Minimising Dialysis Waste Through Incremental Peritoneal Dialysis.
• Northern Sydney Local Health District - Dialysis Water Recycling,
• Mid North Coast Local Health District - The Rational Cannulation Program - Reduction of unnecessary peripheral intravenous cannulas (PIVCs) in Emergency Departments and Hospitals.

Pharmaceuticals and medicines/Net zero supply chain

Central Coast Local Health District - Battery Infusion Pumps for Hospital in the Home Patients.

Staff education and engagement

• Sydney Children's Hospital Network - Empowering Gas Monitoring for Better Care: A Smart Dashboard for Sustainability and Healthcare Efficiency.
• eHealth - New Starter and Checklists.

Climate resilience

• Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network - A Pilot Project: Sustaining People, Land and Culture Through Growing Native Plants with First Nations Patients at the Forensic Hospital.
• NSW Ambulance - Utilising Low-Carbon Remote Piloted Aircraft System Solutions to Support NSW Ambulance Aeromedical Operations.

Energy, assets and travel

• HealthShare NSW - Laundry Electrification Program.
• NSW Ambulance - Developing Decision Support Capability to Optimise Asset Tasking within Aeromedical Operations.
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - Neuropsychology Online - Reducing Carbon Emissions from Travel and Paper Wastage in ISLHD Rehabilitation and Medical Psychology.

2023

Clinical care transformation/Procurement and waste

South Western Sydney Local Health District - A glove reduction pilot project empowering staff to strengthen hand hygiene practices and limit waste from unnecessary non-sterile glove use.

Clinical care transformation/Travel and transport

• Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District - A virtual interpreting service for patients, families, and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and the deaf community, reducing travel emissions. For more information visit Virtual Health Interpreter Service.
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - A pilot project using loaned devices to support virtual care tele-therapy, improving patient access to virtual therapy programs and reducing travel emissions. For more information visit Virtually equipped therapy options (VETO).

Procurement and waste

• Sydney Local Health District - A study assessing the microbiology of patient's home devices to support the safe reuse of continuous positive airway pressure and non-invasive ventilation devices. For more information visit Pressure to reduce waste.
• Northern Sydney Local Health District - A pilot project developing an anaesthetic waste gas transformation unit to remove excess gases from the operating theatre before it reaches the environment.
• Central Coast Local Health District - A pilot project reducing the amount of reverse osmosis plant reject water within a renal dialysis service and reusing reject water for sanitary fixture flushing. For more information visit Reuse of reverse osmosis plant reject water.
• HealthShare NSW - An EnableNSW pilot project developing a circular model for home respiratory equipment ensuring timely supply of essential equipment, reducing waste and carbon emissions. For more information visit The Going Circular Pilot.

Energy and assets/Procurement and waste

• South Eastern Sydney Local Health District - A pilot project replacing single-use plastic with re-usable sterilised hollowware to reduce waste in operating theatres. For more information visit Reusable sterilised holloware for use in operating theatres.
• Murrumbidgee Local Health District - A pilot gardening and composting project for mental health drug and alcohol consumers. For more information visit Let's go green.

Pharmaceuticals and medicines

• South Eastern Sydney Local Health District - A medication blister pack recycling program to recapture single-use plastic and aluminium waste from pharmaceuticals.
• Western NSW Local Health District - A medication blister pack recycling program reducing the volume and cost of pharmaceutical waste in Western NSW.

Clinical care transformation/Pharmaceuticals and medicines

Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District - A pilot project to improve antimicrobial prescribing through intravenous (IV) antimicrobial therapy, reducing waste and carbon emissions. For more information visit Intravenous to oral antimicrobial switch.

Clinical care transformation

Mid North Coast Local Health District - A pilot vegetable garden and outdoor play area for Port Macquarie mental health consumers. For more information visit Grow and play.

Pharmaceuticals and medicines

Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - A pilot project auditing the use and leakage of nitrous oxide at a large tertiary children's hospital. For more information visit Nitrous oxide use and leakage at the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Travel and transport

Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network - A pilot project for more environmentally sustainable transport (e-cart) options to deliver clinical goods across the Long Bay complex.

Energy and assets

• NSW Health Pathology - A pilot project installing sensor taps within the NSW Health Pathology Dubbo Laboratory to conserve water and support energy efficiency.
• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network - A pilot project using green transport (WeWatt bike) to power personal devices within a large tertiary children's hospital.