Congratulations to the LTH Microbiology team, who have recently been awarded the bronze LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) accreditation from University College London for the brilliant work they’re doing to make our laboratories more sustainable.
LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) is an established audit tool that is used by academic laboratories to reduce their environmental impact. The LEAF team adapted the framework to be used as a pilot in diagnostic laboratories and the microbiology team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (LTH) jumped at the chance to be involved.
Pathology testing underpins much of the work the Trust does and our laboratories contribute significantly to our carbon footprint because of the large amounts of energy and water they consume. An average laboratory uses 3-6 times the amount of electricity of the equivalent size office.
Over 1.1 billion pathology tests are performed annually in England - approximately 20 tests per person. These tests require large volumes of single-use plastic and produce vast quantities of waste.
Given the significant environmental impact our laboratories have, the LTH Microbiology team wanted to look in more detail at how they could make their operations more environmentally friendly as part of the Trust’s Green Plan and the GreenerNHS target for a net zero health service.
In the move towards making the microbiology service more sustainable, the team have made sustainability an integral part of the work they do. Sustainability is now a regular agenda item at team meetings, it’s now part of the induction process for new starters, waste streams are segregated as much as possible and all new capital purchases and contracts now have a score attached to them assessing environmental impact. All non-essential PCs and equipment are also powered down at night or when not in use to reduce energy usage.
The Microbiology team are making continual improvements to their operations and aim to achieve the silver LEAF accreditation award. They are also supporting other pathology disciplines at LTH to achieve their bronze LEAF accreditation. For more information about sustainability work taking place within the Trust, click here.
