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18th Annual Conference of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc)

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:52:57 GMT

18th Annual Conference of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc)

A presentation by Professor Shahin Rahimifard, the Principal Investigator of ReMed Project, during the 18th Annual Conference of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc) highlighted the future challenges in cleaning, decontamination and sterilisation processes.

A much wider range of medical devices (MDs) will need to be reprocessed due to increased global demand for elimination and/or reduction of single-use MDs, and the ReMed Project Team welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with the IDSc community to face these challenges together.

“Circular Economy Solutions for Small Medical Devices using Operational Models” Online Workshop, 2 December 2024

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:05:01 GMT

“Circular Economy Solutions for Small Medical Devices using Operational Models” Online Workshop, 2 December 2024

The ReMed online workshop ‘Circular Economy Solutions for Small Medical Devices using Operational Models’, was successfully held on December 2nd, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. Organised by Professor Antuela Tako (ReMed Project Co-Lead for Business and Operations) from Nottingham Business School, this interactive event attracted a diverse audience, approximately 80 participants from the UK and beyond. Attendees on the day included industry representatives, in key sustainability and circular economy roles from NHS England, Scotland, regional NHS trusts, as well as academics, researchers and postgraduate students interested in the topic.

The workshop aimed to disseminate our research findings, to gather feedback from the audience and to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to sustainability and circularity of healthcare supply chains.

The workshop was structured in two parts.

In the first part Prof Tako and Dr Mohd Shoaib, Research Associate in the project, presented the key research findings from their Circular Economy Supply Chain models. They focused on two ReMed case study products; laparoscopic scissors and inhalers. Their analysis offered insights about the behavioural and operational implications of circular economy adoption in the healthcare supply chain. The models report on financial, operational, and environmental outcomes for different circular economy scenarios.

In addition, a live demonstration of the supply and recovery chain model of laparoscopic scissors developed by the team was offered. A simplified version of the simulation model is available on the cloud, which can be accessed through the following link: (https://cloud.anylogic.com/model/7f91bc38-ff72-4319-8f02-a5c619806af8). A brief demonstration on how to access the model on the cloud was shared with the participants. Interested users can use this model to directly interact and experiment with different scenarios, offering the opportunity to perform experiments with customised data.

The second part of the workshop featured a panel discussion with industry experts led by Prof Antuela Tako focused on the role of decision support models in advancing the circular economy adoption in healthcare. We were delighted to welcome Daniel Coole, Managing Director (Surgical Holdings), Jenny Drake, Sustainability Manager (Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust), Janet Smith, Head of Sustainability (The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust) and Tsanko Dimov, Senior Net Zero Delivery ManagerGreener NHS. The panel highlighted the importance of using data-driven models in translating circular economy concepts into actionable strategies.

Further discussion covered the challenges and potential solutions for broader implementation of circular economy principles in healthcare. The panellists also engaged with the audience, responding to inquiries and providing deeper insights around NHS targets for reducing waste, optimising material use beyond carbon cost, methods for calculating the environmental impact of supply chains and the need for a decontamination gap analysis to achieve the change from single use to circular economy. Furthermore, the experts highlighted the importance of collaboration among industry stakeholders, practitioners, and academia to drive systemic change.

Feedback from the attendees was very positive who found the workshop very informative and commended the impactful work done in the field.

The team greatly appreciates the support from industry partners and the numerous individuals who contributed to this work. We also thank the audience for their valuable feedback and warmly welcome any inquiries or opportunities for future collaboration.

Link to presentation slides.

Circular Economy Materials Workshop - July 2024

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 11:58:00 GMT

Workshop on Circular Economy of Materials - July 2024

The circular economy materials workshop, part of ReMed, was conducted on 22 ^nd July 2024. ReMed researchers at the University of Leeds organized the workshop.

The workshop focused on selecting key criteria for circular materials selection in medical devices. The medical device stakeholders, which included design engineers, materials supply, regulatory experts, manufacturers, and academia, discussed key criteria and rated their relative importance. The stakeholder's input is crucial since materials selection often involves conflicting and non-commensurable criteria.

Furthermore, the stakeholders reviewed how each criterion can be quantified (e.g., material value as cost, or materials performance). Based on research, a set of criteria has been proposed. These criteria cover the entire life cycle (from materials supply to end-of-life). They are focused purely on Material considerations—with a fixed design in mind. The finalised criteria and weight were subsequently taken to build a practical framework named circular multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). The circular MCDM serves as a tool for practitioners to select circular medical device materials encompassing all aspects of device life cycles.

Second ReMed Conference hailed a great success - September 2024

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 10:39:54 GMT

Second ReMed Conference acknowledged as “the most informative event on the path to circular use of medical devices”

The second ReMed Conference took place on 17th September 2024 at Loughborough University.

The conference brought together over 100 delegates working across the value chain of medical devices including: design consultancy, manufacturing, waste management, reprocessing, healthcare providers and academia to discuss the latest developments and future opportunities for the transition to a circular use of these devices. Prof Shahin Rahimifard, Principal Investigator of the ReMed Project opened the conference:

"Since the start of the ReMed Project in September 2022, it is with great excitement that we have observed a rapid growth in national and international initiatives exploring a range of solutions for a transition from linear single use to a circular reuse and/or material recovery from Medical Devices (MD). Due to the inherent nature of MD supply chain, application of Circular Economy (CE) in this sector necessitates the careful considerations for its global dimensions. The complexity in the framework of regulations and standards across various countries, regions and continents provides one of the greatest challenges in adopting CE within the medical industry. In addition, an interdisciplinary, holistic and integrated approach is required to consider the many other challenges involved in product redesign and recertification, new materials upgrade and substitution, SMART digital manufacturing, developing new business models for supply and use as well as novel technologies for recovery and reprocessing of MD. The development of easy-to-use life cycle assessment tools to analyse impacts and support decisions is also seen as a key enabler in the attainment of net-zero targets for which application of CE plays a vital role."

A welcome speech was delivered by Professor Rachel Thomson, Loughborough University Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost, who talked about the importance of circular economy research as part of the new University strategy “Creating a Better Future together,” which focuses on three themes of climate change and net zero; sport, health and well-being; and vibrant and inclusive community. The PVC reaffirmed:

"Loughborough’s tradition of conducting world-leading research in close collaboration with industry, through successfully hosting Innovation Hubs which aim to bring together multiple of collaborating universities and organisations to achieve a common goal"

Three informative keynote presentations were given by:

1) Mr Liam Hogg - Head of Waste and Resources for NHS England - outlining the ‘Future of NHS Waste Strategy’

2) Dr Karen Mayor - Deputy Director for Data, Analysis and Resilience in Medical Technologies at the Department of Health and Social Care – summarising the main outcomes from ‘Design for Life’ initiatives

3) Mrs Lena Cordie-Bancroft - Sector Lead for Medical Devices at British Standards Institute, highlighting the paramount importance of ‘Standards in Guiding Healthcare Industry to Circular Practices’.

The rest of the day was divided into 3 thematic sessions, representative of the workstreams being investigated within ReMed project; namely Automated reprocessing of medical devices; Operational changes and health economics; and Circular design and sustainable materials for MD. In each thematic session, talks were given by the ReMed researchers who presented progress within the ReMed project, and we were also privileged to have excellent guest speakers for each session, bringing to life real-world examples of sustainability within the healthcare sector.

“The ReMed conference seems to get better each year and keeps on evolving, I hope you will have another”

Tanja Dicker (ELIX Polymers)

Our external speakers included:

Mr Luca Chiocia - Elix-Polymers – presented the challenges and opportunities for medical devices transition from fossil-based feedstock to advance bio-based plastics through adopting alternative feedstocks from advanced recycling of organic waste from a range of different sources.

Mr Kenneth Robertshaw - Office of Sustainability, Johnson & Johnson – provided an overview of European project DiCE (Digital Health in Circular Economy) aiming to address the issue of increasing digital health waste which may pose biological or chemical contamination, leading to its incineration with or without energy recovery. This means that these items are currently destroyed. DiCE project aims to identify solutions for safe recycling and retaining materials for circular use in such devices.

Mrs Heidi Barnard - Head of Sustainability in NHS Supply Chain – presented the considerations for sustainability in the procurement process and the efforts in building circularity into this process through a multifaceted approach that spans the entire supply chain. This may involve carefully selecting suppliers that prioritise sustainable practices, such as using renewable or recycled inputs, minimizing waste, and implementing energy-eﬃcient manufacturing techniques. It was also highlighted that the procurement professionals must also consider the lifecycle of the products and services they are acquiring, ensuring that items can be easily maintained, repaired, or disassembled at the end of their useful life. Additionally, incorporating take-back programs, leasing models, and other circular business strategies can help organisations retain ownership and control of their resources, enabling them to recover and reintegrate materials back into the supply chain.

Professor Mathew Taylor - Director of York Health Economics Consortium – outlined how global decision makers must deal with the challenge of trading off the benefits of provision of ‘healthcare against the harm’ and provided an overview of current methods for measuring the environmental harm caused by medicines, the economic implications of these measurements, and a discussion around the public’s willingness to trade off their own health in order to reduce environmental harm from healthcare as well as other challenges in accounting for environmental impact in healthcare decision making.

Professor Mark Miodownik - UCL Professor of Materials & Society – presented an overview of ‘The Big Repair Project’ which is a nationwide research project about citizen maintenance and repair of home appliances and electronics and aims to help develop a ‘Right to Repair’ government policy and support the UK towards meeting important environmental targets. The many challenges in changing the mindset from ‘use and dispose’ to ‘repair and reuse’ were highlighted.

The progress within ReMed project was presented by:

Dr Denis Sleath – Senior Research Associate in Loughborough University – presented the results of work by ReMed team who are investigating the reprocessing and subsequent reuse of used medical devices along with the recovery and reuse of materials from these devices. Four different types of small medical devices, namely disposable plastic syringes, single use surgical and laparoscopic scissors, metered dose and dry powder inhalers plus blood glucose meters are being evaluated in detail. In addition, there are in depth studies of key topics such as disassembly, decontamination robotic sorting, dimensional integrity and material durability. The outcome is to identify barriers to circularity and make recommendations how to remove or work around these barriers.

Dr Mohd Shoaib – Research Associate in Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and Dr Ramzi Fayed – Research Associate in University of Leeds (UoL) – they jointly presented their research that aims to evaluate the supply chain impact of adopting different recycling schemes for various types of inhalers (pMDIs and lower emission alternatives, DPIs, combined reliever and treatment). A decision support tool in the form of a simulation model has been developed at NTU that represents the physical flow of inhalers across the supply and recovery chains, linked to a Patients Health Outcome model which is developed at UoL. These models take a holistic approach to considering behavioural, operational (recycling schemes), and design factors in the adoption and supply of inhalers and their impact on environmental, cost and patient health outcomes, offering key industry insights for the implementation of circular economy of Inhalers.

Dr Nathaniel Kaill – Research Associate in Loughborough University – highlighted that the design intent and conceptualisation of a new device has a decisive impact on a product’s ability to be incorporated into the circular economy, and therefore, it is imperative that circular use is considered from the outset rather than retrospectively applied. To aid this the ReMed team has created guidance for circular design for small medical devices. A number of worked examples of the application of the first iteration of the circular design guidance were presented.

Dr Zahrina Mardina – Research Associate in University of Leeds – highlighted that material selection is crucial in determining the circularity of medical devices. Typically, material selection focuses on cost, performance, and regulatory requirements but rarely on end-of-life management or circularity. The ReMed team has created a Multicriteria Decision Support Tool, in collaboration with expert stakeholders, for material selection in medical devices. This promotes circularity principles and uses evaluation criteria spanning the full device life cycle. A case study was used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed tool to select materials for the blades and handle of a reusable laparoscopic scissors.

"The ReMed conference was a really good event; great speakers, organisation and content"

Paul Broadberry, Vanguard Medical Manufacturing

The conference programme also included a Panel Discussion chaired by Professor Peter Culmer (University of Leeds) and was entitled ‘How is the circular economy relevant to the NHS and its ambitions to transition towards a NetZero health service’. The panel consisted of 5 experts from across the circular economy and healthcare sector, namely:

1) Wendy Rayner, Head Circular Economy Programme - NHS Scotland,

2) Tsanko Dimov, Senior Net Zero Delivery Manager - NHS England,

3) Keith Gray, Academic Content Lead for the GIRFT programme - NHS England),

4) Mathew Davidson, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University Bath, and

5) Guy King, Contract Manager - Shapsmart.

The panel considered how the ambitious targets facing the NHS require profound changes in practice and the circular economy provides a compelling solution, although achieving this is not trivial in many cases. Challenges to the achieving of a circular economy are diverse, including current practices in procurement (which favours low cost at point of sale, rather than considering lifetime costs), regulatory barriers (which challenge activities like reprocessing, remanufacture and waste-reprocessing). Equally there is growing awareness that the circular economy must be supported and provide advantages - for instance supporting NHS initiatives like 'Get it right first time' (GIRFT) in improving efficiency and reducing waste, can aid supply-chain resilience, and support a transition away from vulnerable fossil-based material stocks. Engineering science can help industry and healthcare services in this transition. Materials science can explore alternatives to polymers which currently dominate single-use medical devices, new design strategies can help minimise waste and promote reprocessing, reprocessing techniques can enhance our ability to sort, reclaim and minimise waste.

When asked what the panel thought would be the single most impactful action for making the transition to a circular economy, the answers included:

· Eliminate unnecessary waste – we can recycle and reuse thing but not using something in the first place is more impactful.

· Supporting decisions across the value chain of medical devices using change performance metrics which include sustainability.

· Educating and upskilling everyone across the workforce; sustainability should be the responsibility of everyone. There is unique opportunity where clinicians, academics, research bodies and industry all have recognised a need to act in consort.

· Long-term funding in research and innovation programmes and developing long-term circular business models.

The conference hosted a vibrant exhibition and poster session featuring companies and organisations from across the MedTech and healthcare sectors, including Airways Medical, Grace Cares Pre-Loved Care Equipment, Elix Polymers, NIHR, pd-m Design, Springboard, Cambridge Consultants, and Sharpsmart, and Universities of Bath and Bournemouth.

The posters from external presenters alongside ReMed researchers showcased the research that is being carried out to aid with transition to circular use of medical devices.

The winning poster prize went to Grace Cares Pre-Loved Care Equipment, which is an award-winning, not-for-profit organisation that rescues care equipment from landfill and offer it to the public, NHS, and care sector at less than half its original price. Any profits generated will be used to fund hardship grants and support for care workers and older people nationwide.

The conference was closed by Prof. Rahimifard, acting as the Conference Chair, who summarised the day by saying:

‘Today’s presentations and discussions have highlighted some of the significant challenges but also many potential economic, societal and environmental benefits of a circular use of medical devices. It has also become clearly apparent that a multistakeholder, collaborative initiative based on a transdisciplinary approach is the only way to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy within the healthcare sector and to improve long-term resilience of supply of medical devices.

The ReMed project team looks forward to collaborating not only with national but also international organisations to build a global synergy for provision of equitable and affordable access to healthcare worldwide’.

Resources from the conference, including the final programme, presentation slides and posters can be accessed by clicking the link below:

Register now for the next ReMed Online Workshop

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:06:17 GMT

Workshop on Circular Economy Solutions for Small Medical Devices through Modelling

Overview: Join us to explore the operational and behavioural factors driving circular economy adoption for small medical devices. Suitable for practitioners and academics interested in sustainable practices and small medical devices in healthcare.

We present the latest findings from our data-driven decision support models of circular supply chains for small medical devices, followed by a short panel discussion with industry experts.

Date: Monday, 2 December 2024

Time: 13:00-14:30

Venue: Online

Free to attend!

discussion and contribute to the research.

To register use the following link

Thank you

Prof Antouela Takou Nottingham Business School

Nottingham Trent University

Loughborough mentioned in government 'Design for Life' Roadmap

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:13:35 GMT

Loughborough recognised in Department for Health & Social Care ' Design for Life' Roadmap by Baroness Merron

We were delighted that our work at Loughborough as part of the ReMed project was recognised by Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, in the Ministerial foreword for the Department for Health and Social Care's 'Design for Life' Roadmap published on the government website. Design for Life roadmap - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . Baroness Merron said: 'We will use the regional anchors of the NHS as engines for new markets and opportunities: from development of data-driven business models in Exeter to robotic reprocessing technologies in Loughborough. I also look forward to working together with my devolved colleagues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure we all learn from the excellent work they are already pioneering'.

ReMed Conference 17th September 2024

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 10:13:21 GMT

The ReMed Conference: ‘Beyond Disposal: Building a Circular Economy for Medical Devices' will take place on 17th September 2024

The conference aims to provide an overview of the latest research and current industrial initiatives in support of the application of the Circular Economy in the healthcare sector. The programme will feature:

Presentations from industrial and academic practitioners
Poster session showcasing the latest leading research
Industry exhibition and technology demonstrations

We invite practitioners and leaders working within the NHS and healthcare sector, industry professionals from across the healthcare supply and recovery chain, and academic researchers working within multidisciplinary fields encompassing sustainability within the healthcare sector, to join the conference and contribute to this vibrant and active community.

There will be a dedicated poster session during the conference, with prizes available for the top 3 posters. We welcome poster presentations from academic and industry researchers who would like to share their latest research achievements with conference delegates. We welcome submissions of research around the topic of 'circular economy of small medical devices' and from multiple disciplines, including: engineering, modelling, design, business, and healthcare science.

Final Programme announced!

Date and Time

Tuesday 17th September 2024

08:30 - 17:00

Location

Loughborough University

James France Building, Room CC012

General information on travelling to Loughborough University can be found here . Specific information on the building location, parking and accommodation options will be sent out to participants following registration.

Poster Abstract Submission

There will be a dedicated poster session during the conference, with a prize available for the best poster. If you would like to present a poster at the conference, please submit your abstract (no more than 150 words) by 31st July 2024, using the link below. Accepted abstracts will be published in the conference programme.

Booking Details

The conference is free to attend and Eventbrite registration can be completed by clicking on the link below.

There are limited number of tickets available which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once these have all been allocated, we will hold a waiting list for any further tickets that become available.

Exhibition Stand Request Form

If you would like an exhibition stand at the conference, please submit your requirements by 15th August 2024, using the link below.

Contact the Organiser

For further information about this event please contact:

Email : admin @remed.uk

Phone: 01509 225400

Travel Information and Accommodation Booking

The details of how to get to the conference venue can be found on the link below.

If you require accommodation, please note that a 10% discount is being offered to delegates who wish to book a room at Burleigh Court or the Link Hotel for the evening before the conference. Further information is on the link below.

ReMed Conference 2024 - Final Programme Announced!

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 11:53:40 GMT

Some impressive speakers - a day not to be missed!

Coming up in July - Interactive online ReMed Workshop - Materials for Circular Medical Devices.

NM286571 — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 12:54:26 GMT

Workshop on Tools for Materials Selection in Circular Medical Devices

Overview: This interactive online ReMed workshop will explore methods to select and assess materials for Circular Medical Devices. Our aim is to draw on the expertise of participants, who represent key stakeholders in medical devices, to help develop tools and guidance for circular materials selection.

Background: ReMed is a collaborative EPSRC-funded research programme between Loughborough University, University of Leeds and Nottingham Trent University – looking at a Circular Economy (CE) for Small Medical Devices. The CE is a term applied over the last decade to a system in which material resources and value are retained to perform useful functions, rather than being lost in landfill or converted to energy. The research aims to create novel design and material specifications, reprocessing technologies, and digital tools to demonstrate the technical, economic, and operational viability of circular lifecycles for small Medical Devices (MDs) in the UK.

Our research focuses on four case-studies, selected in consultation with industry partners, based on their value and complexity, shown here. These are representative of passive polymer MDs, metallic tools, EE delivery MDs and EE monitoring MDs. These exemplify the common challenges preventing application of the CE, being single life and infectious; lack standard product structures to aid with reused or remanufactured; and multi-materials and parts with complex geometries making high-quality material reclamation infeasible.

Materials Selection for Circular Medical Devices: this workshop will focus on the materials aspects of circular MDs. The process of materials selection for single-use medical devices is well understood, using criteria which typically prioritise upfront costs and immediate performance. Moving towards ’Circular’ MDs requires consideration of new factors spanning the entire lifecycle of a device, from manufacture through to re-use and End-of-Life.

We are developing decision-making tools, intended for those designing medical devices, to guide the process of 1) identifying 2) selecting and 3) assessing materials appropriate for circular MDs.

The Materials Workshop Aim is to draw on industry expertise to help develop these decision-making tools, ensuring that they are relevant to the MedTech industry and accurately capture key considerations in materials selection.

ReMed Conference 2024 Registration is now Open

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:51:37 GMT

The ReMed (Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices) Project Team are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 'Beyond Disposal: Building a Circular Economy for Medical Devices' Conference, taking place on Tuesday 17th September 2024 at Loughborough University.

The conference aims to showcase the latest leading research and perspectives from academic researchers and industrial practitioners on the Circular Economy within the healthcare sector. For further information please see the attached flyer .

This in-person event is free to attend and registration can be completed via this link:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/remed-conference-2024-tickets-856076877987

The workshop is organised by the ReMed team, a joint collaboration between Loughborough University, University of Leeds and Nottingham Trent University.

Tuesday 17th September 2024

8:30 – 17:00

Loughborough University

James France Building, Room CC012

We invite designers, engineers, practitioners, industrialists and academic researchers from across the supply and recovery chains as well as representatives from NHS Trusts and other healthcare organisations to participate in this timely initiative on resource efficiency and waste minimisation within UK Healthcare Sector.

For free registration and to learn more about this event follow this link

Venue: Room CC012, James France Building, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU

Email: admin@remed.uk

Dr Nathaniel's experience applying for an Associate-Fellow in Higher Education Award

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:07:06 GMT

By Dr Nathaniel Kaill, Research Associate, Wolfson School, Loughborough University

As a research associate employed at Loughborough my future career progression has been an area of focus for what development and training, I have decided to undertake while at Loughborough. Following previous teaching experience during my PhD an ambition of mine is to become a lecturer, towards this end a teaching qualification would be beneficial.

At Loughborough this is supported through the Loughborough University Teaching Recognition Scheme (LUTRS), which is accredited by Advance HE. This program is designed to offer those involved with teaching at the university a route to gain a teaching qualification. With either a presentation or written application route for any of the three recognised grades of associate-fellow, fellow and senior fellow. For those interested further about this scheme, the relevant information can be found at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/od-hub/topics/lboro-uni-teach-recognition-scheme/ .

Though as a researcher my interaction with student facing teaching is limited within my role, as such I decided to pursue this qualification through the written application approach as it would be easier to fit around my duties. Reaching out to module leaders in areas I would feel comfortable delivering material and negotiating enough time to qualify for the 20 hr teaching time criteria for the qualification.

I found that they were quite supportive to have an expert in the field alleviate some of their workload and responsibilities. Part of this process was to also organises a teaching observation, whereby a member of the organisational development team at Loughborough University would attend and grade the delivery of my teaching. Writing a report afterwards to tell me that I had passed and granting me further insight into how material is delivered in a university setting. The support the team offered was helpful, also sign posting me to other training offered by Loughborough that has proved useful in my personal development towards obtaining a lectureship and in aspects of my current role that involve communication of research.

Researchers on fixed term contracts, particularly short period contracts, often lack the time, availability, or awareness to engage with professional development that is offered by their employing university. Which is why I have found the written application approach to be beneficial approach while employed in this manner, as the evidence that you gather for the application can span multiple instances over a period. I recognise that this may be off putting to those who find themselves in this position but I do strongly encourage people to pursue the training and qualifications that are provided and attainable while at university as they can prove useful when deciding to advance a career in academia or further afield.

For further information, please see this link:

https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/fellowship

First ReMed Conference hailed a success!

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:07:18 GMT

The first ReMed Conference took place on 19th December 2023 at Loughborough University.

The conference brought together over 80 delegates working across multiple sectors including: academia, manufacturing, healthcare, waste management, reprocessing, design and consultancy to discuss the latest developments and future opportunities for the transition to a circular economy for small medical devices. Prof Shahin Rahimifard, Principal Investigator of the ReMed Project opened the conference:

"The proliferation of the range and number of medical treatments, their inherent reliance on the use of Medical Devices as well as an aging population and rapid growth in the number of patients seeking the most advanced treatments globally has resulted in a perfect storm which is threatening the fair and equitable access to such devices across the world. The ReMed Conference brings together a broad range of actors and decision makes across the value chain of medical devices to accelerate the transition to a circular economy within the healthcare sector and improve the resilience of supply and global access to such devices."

A welcome speech was delivered by Professor Nick Jennings, Loughborough University Vice-Chancellor, who talked about the importance and benefits of multi-disciplinary conferences, the alignment of the conference with the University strategy and the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having in the medical device sector and how this is expected to grow. The VC set the scene perfectly for the conference by saying:

"One of the things I've always loved about being an academic is the ability to try novel solutions to really important societal challenges. The circular economy is a really important societal challenge, both nationally and internationally. And so, I would encourage you to try things, bring together expertise, be bold, and be ambitious in terms of the things that you're willing to try."

A bold keynote presentation was given by Prof Mahmood Bhutta, Chair in ENT Surgery and Professor of Sustainable Healthcare at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Prof. Bhutta's talk highlighted the significant impacts that the use of disposable goods in healthcare are having not only on the environment but also on people. Specific challenges presented including: Infection control at times is being used as an excuse not to make changes to the linear supply model; the serious impact on our planet from overuse of PPE during the pandemic; lack of transparency of where medical devices are manufactured, studies have shown that almost half single use devices are produced in countries with poor human rights record. Prof. Bhutta spoke from his perspective on actions that medical professionals can take to contribute to making progress on reducing medical waste.

“At the ReMed Conference 19 ^th December 2023, It was inspirational to meet a convergence of minds, all working together to unlock innovative possibilities for utilising a more circular economy approach in the small medical device arena. The collective wisdom shared helped to foster growth in this vital area, reminding us that together, we are catalysts for positive change.”

Chris Taylor, Philips UKI (Panel Discussion member)

James Meadwell, Senior Research Fellow in Design and Manager of the Design Matter Group at Nottingham Trent University, discussed their journey of using Life Cycle Analysis for assessing the environmental impact of a product.

Dr Agnes Henson, from the Sustainable Procurement team - NHS England, presented a number of case studies on introducing remanufactured devices into hospitals and what lessons were learned.

Dan Coole, Managing Director, Surgical Holdings, talked about his experience of manufacturing and repair of surgical instruments and showed how ‘Surgical Instrument repair represents Sustainability in Action’.

The rest of the day was divided into 4 thematic sessions representative of the 4 workstreams being investigated within ReMed: circular Design, sustainable Materials selection, Operational changes and health economics, and novel advanced automated Reprocessing of medical devices. In each thematic session, talks were given by the ReMed researchers who presented progress within the ReMed project, and we were privileged to have an excellent guest speaker for each session, bringing to life real-world examples of sustainability within the healthcare and manufacturing sectors.

Prof Jan-Carel Diehl, TU Delft, brought an international strand to the conference by speaking about the work he has been involved with in The Netherlands on the Sustainable Circular Hospitals initiative. Prof Diehl illustrated how much waste was generated within an Intensive Care Unit per patient, and initiatives that have been investigated to reduce this waste, including: re-design of equipment (e.g. gloves dispensers), and educating and training clinical staff.

The conference hosted a vibrant exhibition session featuring companies and organisations from across the MedTech and healthcare sectors, including: Surgical Holdings, NIHR, pd-m Design, Imed Consultancy Ltd. and HealthTech Enterprise.

The poster session featured a number of posters from external presenters alongside ReMed researchers showcasing the research that is being carried out within the ReMed team. The winning poster prize went to ReMed researcher Bana Quronfuleh for her poster entitled ‘Reprocessing Medical Devices: Overcoming the Challenges’.

“As a project partner, ReMed 2023 was the perfect way to close out 2023 by showcasing the progress made in creating a sustainability framework for small medical devices. I am excited to see how this progresses in the next year, and how we can make moves towards implementation to support the sustainability agenda for medical technologies and healthcare technologies.”

Vee Mapunde, NIH R Surgical MedTech Cooperative

"The ReMed conference brought together key stakeholders and topics and really felt like the foundation of the network needed to develop Circular economy solutions and culture moving forward"

Dan Coole, Surgical Holdings

The day was rounded off with a Panel Discussion entitled ‘The Path to Circularity for Medical Devices’ and featured a panel of 4 experts from across the circular economy and Healthtech landscape.

The panel discussed challenges and drivers for progressing the circular economy for medical devices, and touched on issues including: limitations due to legislation, how to incentives reuse, and a range of national and global initiatives. When asked what the panel thought would be the single most impactful action for making the transition to a circular economy, the answers included:

Skills, knowledge and awareness – educating and upskilling everyone across the workforce, sustainability should be the responsibility of everyone.
Supporting decisions using change performance metrics which include sustainability.
Cut waste – we can recycle and reuse thing but not using something in the first place is more impactful.
Long-term funding in research and innovation programmes and developing long-term circular business models.

Panellist Keith Moore, from the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition said:

"We have a unique opportunity where clinicians, academics, research bodies and industry all see a need to act and will act in consort, in collaboration and legislation will pick up afterwards. We have a good government call that we need to make health systems more sustainable and make society more sustainable".

The conference was closed by Prof. Rahimifard, acting as the Conference Chair, who summarised the day by saying:

"Today’s presentations and discussions have highlighted some of the significant challenges but also many potential economic, societal and environmental benefits of a circular use of medical devices. It has also become clearly apparent that a multistakeholder collaborative initiative based on transdisciplinary approach is the only way to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy within the healthcare sector and to improve long-term resilience of supply of medical devices.

Resources from the conference, including the final programme, presentation slides and posters can be accessed by clicking the link below:

Reflections on the Operational Research Society’s Annual Conference OR65 and Early Career Researcher Workshop

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 11:01:06 GMT

By Mohd. Shoaib, Research Associate, School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University

As a researcher within the Circular Economy of Small Medical Devices (ReMed) research project, I had the privilege of attending the Operational Research Society (ORS) Annual Conference ‘OR65’ and Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop , from 10 ^th – 14 ^th September 2023, in the picturesque city of Bath, UK.

The ECR workshop provided a great platform for early career researchers, including PhD students, Post-Doctoral researchers and lecturers, to network with peers and learn about the research funding landscape in the UK. Several important talks and interactive sessions were organised for the participants, to hear from leading academics about publications and writing successful grant applications. Prof Antuela Tako , Co-Investigator of the ReMed project, delivered an invaluable and insightful talk on publishing academic research. Her candid insights into her career journey, the challenges she faced, and importance of quality over quantity left a lasting impression on all attendees.

The OR65 conference commenced on Tuesday with a welcome note by the Dean of the School of Management, University of Bath, Prof Steve Brammer and the Chairs of the Conference. The conference attracted researchers and academics from around the globe to delve into state-of-the-art research in the field of Operational Research (OR). The conference provided a vibrant environment for practitioners and academics to share their work, insights, and experiences, enriching the audience’s knowledge. Various parallel tracks were run over the three days of the conference, and covered topics including: Sustainable Development Goals, Systems Thinking, Transportation, Behavioural OR and health and social care.

Download Presentation Slides:

'Towards Developing Business Models for Sustainable Use of Small Medical Devices in Healthcare'. By Mohd. Shoaib

'Exploring the Circular Economy of Surgical Medical Devices: Environmental and Health Related Impact: A New Approach using Discrete Event Simulation'. By Dr Armando Vargas-Palacios

Two papers were presented at the conference by members of the ReMed Project team from the ‘Business and Operational Modelling’ work package. I ( Mohd. Shoaib ) presented my ongoing work with Prof Antuela Tako on modelling the supply and recovery chain representing the circular pathways of surgical tools. My presentation, titled ‘Towards Developing Business Models for Sustainable Use of Small Medical Devices in Healthcare’ was placed in the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ track. Among others, I discussed how simulation modelling is intended to be used to take into account key performance measures (financial and environmental) and support the transition from the traditional linear economy to a circular one. The modelling of the supply chain involves tracing the journey of the surgical tools from manufacturer to disposal points and the introduction of different End-of-Life strategies to embed circularity within the system. I am excited to be working as part of the ReMed project because the insights developed from my simulation models have the potential to influence NHS decisions and policy in reducing waste and achieving NHS Net Zero targets.

Dr. Armando V arga s-Palacios , Co-Investigator of the ReMed Project, gave a talk on ‘Exploring the Circular Economy of Surgical Medical Devices: Environmental and Health Related Impact: A New Approach using Discrete Event Simulation.’ In the presentation, Armando spoke about the challenges faced by the NHS to transition from a linear approach to a circular one and how this component of the ReMed project can aid in defining the impact of that transition on the day-to-day operations of the NHS. The presentation showed how the simulation model can help with this task and discussed an initial schematic of the model and its capabilities. Armando showed how the model aims to trace the journey of the surgical tool from when is purchased by the NHS, delivered to the hospital, unpacked, sent to the surgical theatre, ward or clinic to be used and then disinfected to their final destination either to be recycled, repurposed, refitted or disposed of. The simulation also includes the potential impact on the patient’s treatment and health implications. This work is led by Dr Armando Vargas-Palacios and is being developed by Dr. Ramzi Fayad , Research Associate within the ReMed team, based at the University of Leeds.

In addition to the intellectually invigorating sessions, the conference also offered delegates a social programme, including a guided walking tour of the historical city of Bath, which was a delightful experience. The guided tour offered a cultural and historical perspective of the mesmerising Georgian-era architecture, including the famous Crescent, the Circus, and the Roman Baths to name a few. The gala dinner at the Pump Rooms was a very enjoyable and relaxing experience. The gala dinner offered an opportunity to meet new contacts, with whom I had engaging conversations, and gave me a chance to know more about the activities of the UK’s Operational Research Society..

Overall, the OR65 Conference was a resounding success that brought together different research ideas, interests, and perspectives. It underlines the importance of scientific research and the role of OR in solving complex real world problems.

The slides presented by the ReMed researchers can be accessed here:

Mohd. Shoaib 'Towards Developing Business Models for Sustainable Use of Small Medical Devices in Healthcare'.

Dr Armando Vargas-Palacios 'Exploring the Circular Economy of Surgical Medical Devices: Environmental and Health Related Impact: A New Approach using Discrete Event Simulation'.

ReMed Conference 2023 - Final Programme Announced!

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 09:38:31 GMT

The ReMed Team are delighted to announce the final speaker list for the 2023 Conference

Download Presentation Slides:

Prof. Dr. Jan-Carel Diehl (TU Delft)

Dr Nathaniel Kaill presents at SFF in Texas, USA

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 10:12:15 GMT

Dr Nathaniel Kaill, Research Associate for ReMed presents at SFF in Austin, Texas - August 2024

Dr Nathaniel Kaill presented the effect of a typical decontamination procedure on ABS and its viability as feedstock material for recycled printer filament. SFF is a international conference focused on 3D printing and explores the application of this technology and material usage.

ReMed Host Successful Industry Network Building Workshop

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:23:39 GMT

The ReMed Research project team hosted a Network Building Workshop on 22 ^nd June in the West Park Teaching Hub at Loughborough University.

The workshop was organised to host around 50 industrial and healthcare participants representing the range of sectors involved with the circular economy for small medical devices: medical device manufacturers and remanufacturers, medical device designers and developers, NHS, industry bodies, research and innovation networks, waste management and materials developers.

The event aimed to bring together these industry and healthcare professionals to share 'real-world' experiences and insights gained from their field of expertise, and to initiate a community of practitioners within the healthcare value chain, in order to inform future trajectories for the circular economy for small medical devices.

Workshop participants engaged in a discussion group

A selection of flip chart sheets and post-it notes generated during the workshop

The workshop format included two key sessions; the morning session was focussed on ‘Challenges, Barriers and Drivers’ and the afternoon session was focussed on ‘Innovation and Technology Gaps’. There were 4 discussion groups within each session, with each discussion group focused on a specific area and facilitated by members of the ReMed academic team . A selection of sample medical devices and some pre-generated questions were provided for each group, in order to aid discussion, as well as plenty of post-it notes and flip chart sheets! Each session generated a wealth of information, and a summary from each discussion group was provided to all of the participants by an inudusty representative.

There were many opportunities for participants to network during the day, and many participants were still engaged in discussion with each other and the ReMed team long after the closing remarks of the day!

The workshop seemed to be extremely well received by the participants, and lots of positive feedback was received after the event. Participants praised the format of the event, saying it was well-facilitated and enabled everyone to feel able to contribute and be listened to. Participants also commented on the usefulness of being able to access a network of people engaged in the same area of work across multiple sectors and organisations.

Professor Shahin Rahimifard , Principal Investigator of the ReMed Project, said:

“The success of this workshop and how well it was attended and received clearly highlights the importance and urgency for developing a whole-system approach for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of the medical devices. We hope to grow the community that was formed during this workshop to provide a focal point for sharing knowledge and best practices, and through our future events provide opportunities to both inform upcoming innovations in this area as well as accelerating the journey towards wide-scale adoption of a circular economy with UK healthcare sector.”

The ReMed team are working on a report summarising the key learnings from the workshop, which is due to be published later in the year. The next ReMed event is the Conference taking place on 19th December 2023. Further details can be found on the events page .

Workshop participants listening to the summary from a discussion group

ReMed Conference 19th December 2023

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:51:13 GMT

The ReMed Conference: ‘Transdisciplinary Perspectives on a Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices’ will take place on 19th December 2023

Presentations from industrial and academic practitioners
Poster session showcasing the latest leading research
Industry exhibition and technology demonstrations

Programme Announced!

The final programme can be downloaded via the button to the right. We are pleased to be featuring the following guest speakers:

Prof. Mahmood Bhutta , Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex
James Meadwell , Design Matter Group, Nottingham Trent University
Prof. Dr. Jan-Carel Diehl , TU Delft
Dr Agnes Henson , NHS England
Daniel Coole , Surgical Holdings

In addition to this, there will be a range of presentations from researchers working within the ReMed Project.

Date and Time

Tuesday 19th December 2023

08:30 - 17:00

Location

Loughborough University

James France Building, Room CC012

Contact the Organiser

For further information about this event, including enquiries regarding hosting an exhibition stand, please contact:

Dr Robin Rainier (Administrative Officer for ReMed)

Email : event@remed.uk

Phone: 01509 225400

Poster Abstract Submission

There will be a dedicated poster session during the conference, with a prize available for the best poster. If you would like to present a poster at the conference, please submit your abstract (no more than 150 words) by 30th November 2023, using the link below. Accepted abstracts will be published in the conference programme.

Booking Details

Update: Registration is now closed, please contact Dr Robin Rainier using: admin@remed.uk for any last-minute availability.

The conference is free to attend and registration can be completed by clicking on the link below.

ReMed Industry Network Building Workshop - June 2023

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:04:00 GMT

ReMed Industry Network Building Workshop - June 2023

The ReMed Research project team recently hosted a Network Building Workshop which took place on 22 ^nd June 2023 in the West Park Teaching Hub at Loughborough University. The workshop attracted around 30 industrial participants representing the range of sectors involved with the circular economy for small medical devices: medical device manufacturers and remanufacturers, medical device designers and developers, NHS, industry bodies, research and innovation networks, waste management and materials developers and manufacturers.

During the workshop, the ReMed academic team, which comprises 5 lead investigators and 7 Postdoctoral researchers, took the opportunity to explain more about the ReMed project and the research being undertaken within the team. However, the main focus of the event was to encourage the industry participants to share their experience of what is happening within industry around the circular economy of small medical devices as well as to bring their knowledge and expertise to the group.

The workshop was divided into two main sessions, with the morning being focussed on ‘Challenges, Barriers and Drivers’ and the afternoon focussed on ‘Innovation and Technology Gaps’. Within each session, there were 4 discussion groups (shown in the Table below), with each one being facilitated by members of the ReMed academic team. On each table, a selection of sample medical devices and some pre-generated questions were provided in order to aid discussion, as well as plenty of post-it notes and flip chart sheets! Each session produced a wealth of information (which is still being analysed by the ReMed team) and an industry representative from each group provided a summary of their discussion to the rest of the participants, which was interesting and well-received.

The workshop was very well received by the participants, and lots of positive feedback was received after the event. Participants praised the format of the event, saying it was well-facilitated, which enabled everyone to feel able to contribute and be listened to. Participants also commented on the usefulness of being able to access a network of people engaged in the same area of work across multiple sectors and organisations.

There were many opportunities for participants to network during the day, including the morning coffee session and over lunch. After the close of the session, many participants stayed around for a while engaged in discussion with each other and the ReMed team, which seemed to highlight the successful nature of the event.

The outputs from the workshop will be published in a report over the coming months, and a set of slides with an initial summary of the outputs can be viewed here (add link). Please keep an eyer on out Events page (link) for future ReMed events, including the ReMed Conference which is due to take place on 19 ^th December 2023.

Morning Session: Challenges, Barriers and Drivers

· Drivers for adopting CE (NHS net zero)

· Operational Barriers in Healthcare Settings Preventing CE-

· Challenges in Product Supply & Waste Recovery Preventing CE

· Gaps in Policy and Legislation Preventing CE

Afternoon Session: Challenges, Barriers and Drivers

· Design for Circular Medical Devices

· Materials Specification and Characterisation

· Decision Support Models for CE Evaluation

· Reprocessing Technologies for Reuse, Remanufacture and Recycle

Industrial Network Building Workshop - 22nd June 2023

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:10:57 GMT

Network Building Workshop on 'A Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices'

Calling representatives from the medical industry and healthcare sector to join this interactive workshop to shape the future for circular use of medical devices.

The workshop is organised by the ReMed team, a joint collaboration between Loughborough University and University of Leeds. The aim is to identify the challenges and barriers to circular use and to

propose solutions for widescale adoption of reusing, remanufacturing, and recycling of medical devices.

We invite designers, engineers, practitioners, and industrialists from across the supply and recovery chains as well as representatives from NHS Trusts and other healthcare organisations to participate in this timely initiative on resource efficiency and waste minimisation within the UK Healthcare Sector.

22nd June 2023

10:30 - 15:30

Loughborough University

West Park Teaching Hub

For further information on getting to Loughborough University, please click here .

Contact the Organiser

For further information about this event, please contact:

Dr Robin Rainier, Administrative Officer for ReMed:

EMAIL: event@remed.uk

PHONE: 01509 225400

A flyer for the workshop can be downloaded here:

Booking Details

This workshop is free to attend. Please register using this link:

Network Building Workshop on Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices

Wed, 24 May 2023 15:42:42 GMT

Calling representatives from the medical industry and healthcare sector to join this interactive workshop to shape the future for circular use of medical devices.

The workshop is organised by the ReMed team, a joint collaboration between Loughborough University and University of Leeds.

The aim is to identify the challenges and barriers to circular use and to propose solutions for widescale adoption of reusing, remanufacturing, and recycling of medical devices.

Thursday 22 ^nd June 2023

10:30 – 15:30

Loughborough University

West Park Teaching Hub

For free registration and to learn more about this event follow this link or scan the QR code: bit.ly/ReMedWorkshop

Venue: West Park Teaching Hub, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU

Email: event@remed.uk

This information is also available to download here.

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18th Annual Conference of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc)

18th Annual Conference of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences (IDSc)

“Circular Economy Solutions for Small Medical Devices using Operational Models” Online Workshop, 2 December 2024

Circular Economy Materials Workshop - July 2024

Second ReMed Conference hailed a great success - September 2024

Register now for the next ReMed Online Workshop

Loughborough mentioned in government 'Design for Life' Roadmap

Loughborough recognised in Department for Health & Social Care ' Design for Life' Roadmap by Baroness Merron

ReMed Conference 17th September 2024

The ReMed Conference: ‘Beyond Disposal: Building a Circular Economy for Medical Devices' will take place on 17th September 2024

Final Programme announced!

Date and Time

Location

Poster Abstract Submission

﻿ Booking Details

Exhibition Stand Request Form

Contact the Organiser

Email : admin @remed.uk

Phone: 01509 225400

Travel Information and Accommodation Booking

ReMed Conference 2024 - Final Programme Announced!

Some impressive speakers - a day not to be missed!

Coming up in July - Interactive online ReMed Workshop - Materials for Circular Medical Devices.

ReMed Conference 2024 Registration is now Open

The ReMed (Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices) Project Team are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 'Beyond Disposal: Building a Circular Economy for Medical Devices' Conference, taking place on Tuesday 17th September 2024 at Loughborough University.

Dr Nathaniel's experience applying for an Associate-Fellow in Higher Education Award

First ReMed Conference hailed a success!

Reflections on the Operational Research Society’s Annual Conference OR65 and Early Career Researcher Workshop

ReMed Conference 2023 - Final Programme Announced!

Dr Nathaniel Kaill presents at SFF in Texas, USA

Dr Nathaniel Kaill, Research Associate for ReMed presents at SFF in Austin, Texas - August 2024

ReMed Host Successful Industry Network Building Workshop

The ReMed Research project team hosted a Network Building Workshop on 22 nd June in the West Park Teaching Hub at Loughborough University.

ReMed Conference 19th December 2023

The ReMed Conference: ‘Transdisciplinary Perspectives on a Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices’ will take place on 19th December 2023

Programme Announced!

Date and Time

Location

Contact the Organiser

Email : event@remed.uk

Phone: 01509 225400

Poster Abstract Submission

Booking Details

﻿

Update: Registration is now closed, please contact Dr Robin Rainier using: admin@remed.uk for any last-minute availability.

ReMed Industry Network Building Workshop - June 2023

ReMed Industry Network Building Workshop - June 2023

Industrial Network Building Workshop - 22nd June 2023

Network Building Workshop on 'A Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices'

Contact the Organiser

Booking Details

Network Building Workshop on Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices

Calling representatives from the medical industry and healthcare sector to join this interactive workshop to shape the future for circular use of medical devices.

Booking Details

The ReMed Research project team hosted a Network Building Workshop on 22 ^nd June in the West Park Teaching Hub at Loughborough University.