June’s You Made A Difference Team Award goes to the environmental services team.
The environmental service team is a small, highly skilled and dedicated team made up of 21 staff and is part of the wider estates team.
The team is responsible for three services; waste management, the boiler house and two incinerators.
Every day the Trust produces 11 tonnes of waste - seven tonnes of these are incinerated on site and the rest is taken off site for recycling and recovery. This equates to approximately 4,000 tonnes per year.
The team has worked closely with the Environment Agency as well as colleagues in NHS Improvement to help reduce the backlog of waste throughout the country created by the collapse of a major waste company.
Running of such complex plant and machinery does not come easy or without its problems, however the team take this in their stride with dedication and professionalism.
Nothing is too much trouble for the team and they take great pride in their work even in some challenging situations and always remain calm under pressure.
This is reflected in the team’s winning nomination:
The environmental services team is a small, dedicated team that work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep this hospital running as smoothly as possible!
“This highly skilled team works tirelessly behind the scenes, out of the public eye, to ensure the smooth running of some very important services. The Trust produces a whopping 11 tonnes of waste every day which is managed by environmental services. Waste management is a very complex subject and not as easy as ‘throwing something away’.
“Another important service is the two incinerators which we are one of (if not the only) operated, owned and run by the NHS in the country. Attached to the two incinerators are two waste heat recovery boilers which mean the Trust can benefit from the heat produced by burning our own waste.
“The team is a vital asset to the Trust and in order to manage these complex services relies on the huge amount of skill and knowledge each team member brings to the team.”