THE HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT & WASTE MANAGER EU-HCWM Newsletter Issue No. 10 Winter 2016/17 HAPPY NEW YEAR - We Wish You All a Healthy and Prosperous 2017 Well that was a quick three years. It seems to have flown by. The final conference has come and gone; the final partner meeting has come and gone; the penultimate webinar has come and gone and now the partners are working feverishly on the final administrative tasks of the project. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with this project for making it such a memorable three years. We are delighted with the finished outputs and hope that they will add some value to the healthcare waste management sector. Although we have come to the end of the project and the development process for the qualifications there is still work to be done. We are working closely with ISWA to launch a pilot training programme in 2017 and in the UK we are working to find a mechanism through which the qualifications have been utilised by the NHS. In addition and for the next five years the project website will be operational and there will be monthly bulletins posted on the website and circulated to the professional network members. This will ensure that progress made with the training and qualifications is disseminated as widely as possible and that we have a platform for continued dialogue on developments in the sector. In this issue: SINERGIE hosted the project co-ordination meeting at their offices in Reggio Emelia, Italy. Project Partners get down to business at recent Meeting in Birmingham. Final Project Co-ordination Meeting Birmingham, UK Latest Industry News EUHCWM Final Conference Birmingham Review Webinars and Web Stats Professional Networks Meeting of ISWA Healthcare Waste Working Group ISWA World Congress 2016 Novi Sad Serbia 1
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS National networks have been created in each participating partner country. The members of the networks are representatives of all stakeholders target groups, i.e. direct beneficiaries like vocational training providers and potential learners; policy and decision makers; other stakeholders like local communities, healthcare providers, and environmental organizations. A complete database of contact details has been created, and the members of the network are the core recipients of the project activities and outputs, mainly through project newsletters and updates. The project LinkedIN group and the project website have served as two very useful dissemination platforms and will continue to aid the dissemination process for at least another 5 years. These platforms allow like minded professional to share knowledge/best practice and to keep up to date with legislative changes. The existing EU-HCWM Network is continually expanding to include other member states, in order to create a pan European network of stakeholders, who will be invaluable in creating synergy between all member states. The map below illustrates the Member States where we have a professional network contact(s). The project partners are delighted with the progress made by Aditi Ramola, ISWA, and the Professional Network Development team. To have professional network representation in all but two EU Member States is a really excellent achievement for the project. We are planning to have a webinar for the professional network in January 2017. Project Partners 1. International Centre for the Environment, Resource Management & Sustainability Ltd (ICERMS) 2. SINERGIE Societa Consortile a responsabilita limitata (SINERGIE) 3. Institute of Environmental Protection National Research Institute (IEP-NRI) 4. SIGMA Consultants Limited (SIGMA) 5. ET Log Health Envirotech & Logistics GmbH (ET Log) 6. Regional Environment Centre for Central & Eastern Europe Country Office Macedonia (REC FYROM) 7. Associacio d organitzacions registrades EMAS a Catalunya (Club EMAS) 8. National Centre for Continuing Education (QKEV) 9. Regional Environment Centre for Central & Eastern Europe Country Office Slovenia (REC SLO) 10. The NHS Confederation (NHS - Confed) 11. European Union of Private Hospitals (UEHP) 12. International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) 2
Final Conference and Partner Meeting Birmingham, UK The final activities for the project took place in Birmingham between the 9th to 11th of November 2016. The final conference for the project was held on the 10th of November in Birmingham, UK where the final project deliverables and outputs were disseminated to a wider stakeholder group. It was an excellent event with an international speaker programme and a high quality of delegates who all are involved in the field of healthcare waste management. The speaker programme reflected the scope of the project itself and there were contributions from strategic as well as operational perspectives. It was particularly pleasing to be able to showcase best practices from around the UK and the EU with excellent presentations from project team members in this regard. The conference concluded with project partners delivering three presentations on the future development of a Pan-European Professional Network of healthcare waste management professionals and vocational qualification providers; an overview of the new e-learning portal based on the Moodle programme and lastly an overview of the projects actions in regard to implementation of the project outputs. The event itself was well received by all parties and the project partners would like to thank Dave Tucker; Dr Sue Berry; Victoria Combes and all at the NHS NPAG Best Value Group on Waste for all their assistance and contribution throughout the project and at the final conference. They would also like to thank Anne Woolridge for chairing the morning session and to all the speakers for their excellent contributions on the day. The project partner meetings took place at the same venue on the 9th and 11th November. At the partner meeting members discussed the establishment of an EU wide network of healthcare waste management professionals and the relevant networks to uptake the VET qualifications. This latter process is being led by ISWA in close cooperation with the pan European industry associations which will try to bring in their respective experiences to collectively further strengthen this process. The network will be a platform for like-minded people to meet, and discuss current issues in the healthcare waste management sector. Lead partner ICERMS and ISWA have held two successful webinars on the professional network development and project outcomes. Currently the project partners are in discussion with ISWA about an agreement to take forward a formal training agenda across the EU for healthcare waste managers. Expressions of interest from accredited vocational training centres, healthcare institutions, qualification authorities and respective healthcare waste managers in and across all European countries, who would be interested in the implementation of these VET programmes in their national context, are invited to contact: iswa@iswa.org or info@hcwm.eu For more information, please see the project website: http:// www.hcwm.eu/ In the UK and Poland there is a possibility to progress directly with the formal qualification route and the respective partners in those countries are continuing dialogue with key stakeholders to have these qualifications available on the national qualification frameworks. Watch this space... 3
EUHCWM Project Web Stats Show Real Progress Over Project Lifetime The EUHCWM website has now been up and running for almost three years and we have seen its success grow consistently throughout that time. The main measures that we have decided to focus on are Visits, Unique Visitors, and Newsletter Downloads. In all three categories we have seen steady growth which has been a testament to the success of the partners in advertising the project through their professional networks, and the quality of the content that has been produced by the project team. We were very happy in the summer of 2016 to see the number of unique visitors begin to consistently hit above 300 per month but since the final conference there has been a large spike in traffic which saw us hit 628 unique visitors in November, a number that we would not have thought we would be reaching. In addition to this we have seen the popularity of the newsletters rise past 200 downloads per month, and this is in addition to the numbers reached through the partners communications to their professional networks. This is very positive for the project, and the partners hope to carry this momentum through to 2017 to ensure that their hard work reaches all corners of the continent. The site will continue to run for another five years and we hope that we can continue to see growth and build a strong community for healthcare waste management in Europe. ISWA EUHCWM Webinars Add Value to Project Dissemination Actions ISWA helped facilitate a series of three webinars to present the outputs and discuss the next phase of the EU Healthcare Waste Management (EU HCWM) project. During the webinars, project leader Scott Crossett introduced the project objectives and discussed the plan for the next phase. Scott also described the professional network its aim, benefits, and it being a platform to facilitate knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices, and a place to disseminate information on HCWM-relevant issues between experts. The webinars were well attended by participants from across the world including from Spain, India, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Austria, UK and Serbia. Aditi Ramola and Scott Crossett, pictured left, prepare to deliver one of the project Webinars as part of the final project conference in Birmingham. Scott Crossett jnr. Prepared a series of Prezi presentations which we were able to use as the basis for the Webinars and these consisted of a project overview followed by a focus on the outputs of work package 10 Dissemination and Professional Network Development. A final project webinar will be organized for later on in January 2017 and ISWA will disseminate details in early part of January. If you would like to participate in the Webinar which will address the main objectives of the project beyond it current planned lifespan then please send us a mail to media@icerms.com and we will send you details on the event and how to participate. Further information about the project including a leaflet explaining and listing the vocational education qualification units that are being developed can be found on the project website at: http://www.hcwm.eu/ 4
ISWA Healthcare Waste Special Session and Working Group Meeting Novi Sad A special session on Healthcare waste was held in September 2016 on the margins of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress in Novi Sad, Serbia. In this session, the work of the ISWA Healthcare Waste Working Group (HCW WG) with partners such as the World Health Organization was highlighted. Dr. Anne Woolridge, pictured right, presented an international perspective on healthcare waste management. There was also an opportunity to gain an insight into how the European directives have been transposed into Serbian healthcare waste management strategy and practice as well as how the issue of out of date donated pharmaceuticals has been addressed. The ISWA HCW WG, pictured left, has been a partner in the Lifelong Learning Programme project, Developing an EU Standardised Approach to Vocational Educational Training Awards in Healthcare Waste Management (EU-HCWM). This EC funded project aims to provide a unified approach to the development of National Occupational Standards and Vocational Educational Training (VET) Programmes for Healthcare Waste Management across the EU Member States. This will be achieved through a new healthcare waste management qualification framework, and an e-learning platform. The results of the project were presented at the session by the project lead Scott Crossett., pictured below right. Following the special session on Healthcare Waste management the ISWA Working Group on Healthcare Waste met in Novi Sad, Serbia on the 22nd of September to discuss the groups work programme and strategic projects and partnerships. The working group also discussed key issues in HCW in various countries. Dr Verica Jovanovic, IPH Batut, pictured below right, gave a presentation on the excellent progress made in Serbia on HCW management issues. The project Developing an EU Standardised Approach to Vocational Educational Training Awards in Healthcare Waste Management (EU-HCWM) was also presented during the working group meeting. The event was also an opportunity for the project team to discuss the sustainability of the projects outputs with ISWA and meeting in this regard were held with the President and the Vice President. These discussions are ongoing and we hope to make an announcement, regarding the future arrangements with ISWA in the utilizing the project outputs, in early 2017. 5
Industry News & Events Waste360 Healthcare Waste Conference 2017 May 8-11, 2017, New Orleans Join the healthcare waste industry's most powerful leaders to learn, network, and do business in a forum that's intimate by design. The Waste360 Healthcare Waste Conference is an unrivaled educational event that focuses on the most critical legislative, regulatory and technical issues that affect the healthcare waste industry. Drawing from the expertise of our speakers, you will: Learn to make better descisions Get the answers to your questions about compliance Test-drive options to solve your business challenges Network with colleagues who may have answers to the questions you re currently facing Find the right solutions for your healthcare waste needs Save your company money and yourself time More information at http://www.healthcarewasteconf.com Waste Management Web Resource for Medical Waste Waste Management makes sustainability for your healthcare facility both possible and profitable Our industry experts work with you to create safe, responsible and customized programs to collect and dispose of your medical waste. We also work to keep your costs down and to remain compliant with safety regulations. Whether you choose scheduled collection services or our mail-in products, Waste Management makes medical waste disposal for businesses more convenient. That way, you can focus on what matters most your customers. To visit the site and its many resources go here http://www.wm.com/enterprise/healthcare/events-news.jsp New Healthcare Waste Management Association Forms in the United States The interim board of directors for the Phoenix-based Medical Waste Management Association (MWMA), a nonprofit trade group for the biohazard and medical waste disposal industry, announced the association s official launch July 1, 2016. The organization seeks to promote operating standards, research, education and regulatory advocacy for organizations that transport, process, store or dispose of biological and medical waste. MWMA says it also welcomes membership from health care professionals charged with their organization s medical disposal logistics and compliance. Rob Marshall, owner of San Antonio-based Medsharps and MWMA president, says the time is right for the creation of such an organization. Up to now, the medical waste disposal industry has not had a strong independent trade organization to promote its interests, Marshall says. There are hundreds of companies across the United States, and far more around the world, providing this critical service that will benefit from having a strong, unifying voice. Marshall says he also believes health care organizations using medical waste disposal services will benefit from the MWMA. Philosophically, we feel that creating a well-informed customer is the best way to assure proper disposal of biologically hazardous materials, he says. In that regard, the association will also focus on customer education and has created a specific membership category for those responsible for medical and biological waste disposal compliance for their employer. Initially, MWMA says it will focus its energies on member outreach but expects to advance an agenda that not only confronts current industry challenges but addresses emerging issues, such as the eventual classification of human biological waste as protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The MWMA can be contacted through its webpage at www.medwasteonline.org. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Grant Agreement Ref. No. 2013-4928/001-001 Project Ref. No 541982-LLP-1-2013-1-UK-LEONARDO-LNW 6