Michael Turner, General Manager, at ClearView Ultrasound calls on the NHS to reduce waste in ultrasound.
When we talk about sustainability in healthcare, we may think of large, often expensive projects, such as switching to a fleet of electric vehicles, solar panels on hospital roofs, or sitewide sustainable building materials. But change can come from small decisions that happen every day, like repairing an ultrasound probe instead of replacing it.
An ultrasound probe is a complex piece of technology. It’s full of electronics, small parts and materials. These take a lot of energy and resources to produce. When one fails, it’s easy to assume replacement is the only option. But manufacturing a new probe could generate around 200 to 300 kilos of CO₂ before it even reaches the hospital, whereas repairing the probe avoids almost all of that impact. It uses a fraction of the resources needed to make a new one. But it’s not just manufacturing that impacts the environment, electronic waste is a growing global problem too, and medical equipment contributes just like any other sector. Every time a damaged probe gets thrown away, we’re not just discarding a few bits of metal and plastic; we’re wasting energy, materials, and money. A probe repair diverts waste from landfill and reduces demand for new manufacturing. When we multiply that by the thousands of probes repaired each year across the NHS, the environmental savings are huge.
Supporting the NHS’s Net Zero goals
In 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health system to commit to reaching Net Zero and take action to reduce the future impacts of climate change, with two targets set against a 1990 baseline:
- Net Zero by 2040 for the emissions the NHS controls directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint), with an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032.
- Net Zero by 2045 for the emissions the NHS can influence (the NHS Carbon Footprint Plus), with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2036 to 2039
Repairing probes directly helps achieve those goals. It cuts the embodied carbon in new equipment purchases and supports the Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which now expects suppliers to show how they’re reducing their carbon footprint. So, every repair isn’t just a technical fix, it’s a measurable contribution to the NHS’s climate strategy.
Saving money and time
There is a perception that sustainability can be expensive. However, probe repair is much cheaper and makes complete financial sense. A new probe costs many thousands of pounds, while a repair will be a fraction of that. By scaling that, a Trust could potentially save hundreds of thousands of pounds per year repairing probes over replacing them. Those savings can go straight back into patient care at the front line, where it counts.
Repairs also mean less downtime. Instead of waiting weeks for a replacement probe, a repaired probe can be back in service within days. That means less disruption for imaging teams and better patient care. Healthcare is beginning to move away from a buy, use/ dispose mindset. Repair and refurbishment are part of a broader shift toward a circular economy, one where resources stay in use for as long as possible. It’s a simple idea with a big impact. Sustainability doesn’t always come from big gestures. Sometimes it’s about making better use of what’s already in front of us. Probe repair is a perfect example, it reduces waste, saves carbon, saves money, and keeps essential diagnostic tools in use where they belong, which is in the hands of clinicians. It’s proof that doing the right thing for the planet can also be the right thing for patients and the NHS.
Watch an exclusive interview with Michael on how Trusts can improve sustainability at: https://youtu.be/Lu8hjCHxGwU
