1.Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a planned trade pact currently being negotiated between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA). If concluded it will become the world’s largest free trade pact.
Read about TTIP here: TTIP
2. NHS Scotland spearheads furniture and equipment reuse
The Scottish Health Service has achieved a “world first”, with a contractual commitment to furniture and equipment reuse that expects to generate savings of more than £300,000 and major carbon reductions across procurement, facilities management and waste services in the first year.
Read the story here: NHS Scotland
3. Joint Healthcare Waste and Resources Research Group and ISWA International conference
In conjunction with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the Group will be hosting an international conference on April 14 and 15, 2016. It will be held at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London. Topics to be covered will include current and emerging technologies, sustainability and preparing for emergencies.
4. Pharmaceuticals and waste water
Wastewater treatment plants not only struggle removing pharmaceuticals, it seems some drugs actually increase after treatment. When researchers tested wastewater before and after treatment at a Milwaukee-area treatment plant, they found that two drugs—the anti-epileptic carbamazepine and antibiotic ofloxacin—came out at higher concentrations than they went in. The study suggests the microbes that clean our water may also piece some pharmaceuticals back together.
Read the article here: Phamaceuticals and waste water
5. Educating for sustainable healthcare
The General Medical Council (GMC) has updated the online version of Tomorrow’s Doctors to include a link to the priority learning outcomes for sustainable healthcare, which were developed by the SHE Network through a national consultation in 2012-13. Tomorrow’s Doctors sets standards and outcomes for undergraduate medical training, and forms the basis of medical school curricula nationally. Appendix 3 (in the online version) provides references to external documents, including those providing more detail on specific curriculum areas.
See the training information here: Sustainable healthcare
6. Changes to waste classification
Read more here: FAQs