Women in labour and dental patients will be given ‘green gas and air’ at St George’s hospital, reducing pain on the planet as well as during childbirth and tooth extractions.
In a UK first, St George’s University Hospital is investing in a device in its dental unit dubbed the ‘catalytic converter of gas and air’.
Nitrous oxide, regularly combined with oxygen, to produce Entonox, provides sedation in dental and emergency procedures as well as pain relief in labour. The gas has almost 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
The mobile nitrous oxide conversion unit at St George’s will be the first in the UK to be trialed in a dental department and breaks gas down into harmless oxygen and nitrogen before it is released, thereby reducing its impact on the environment as well as staff exposure to the medical gas.
It is already being used in St George’s endoscopy and the midwifery led birth unit.
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital for south west London, Surrey and beyond – and one of the largest healthcare providers in the UK – serving a population of 3.5 million.
Dr Emma Evans, South West London Clinical Lead for Net Zero and Consultant Anaesthetist at St George’s, said: “Patients won’t experience any difference in their clinical care and how they receive pain relief remains the same, but after its use, it will be disposed of through the device to breakdown the gas to be more environmentally friendly.
“After trialing mobile devices in the dental, endoscopy and midwifery led birth units, we will scope out the potential for a central system to service a larger number of clinical areas too, to further reduce our overall carbon footprint.”
This is the second time St George’s has been recognised for its sustainability strategy after the Trust was the first in the UK to decarbonise its patient menu last year.
Kate Slemeck, Managing Director for St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “These devices eliminate 99% of the nitrous oxide that is released into the environment and their implementation plays a small but very important part in our overall green plan, paving the way for us to reduce our emissions.
“We all have a role to play in tackling climate change and St George’s is committed to playing its part in making the NHS the world’s first net zero health service.”
With more sustainable investments and interventions like these, we will reduce the rise in patients coming in with conditions exacerbated by ai