Surgical Holdings Launches Academy to Deliver Sustainable Medical Device Education for Healthcare Professionals

Surgical Holdings, a family run manufacturer and repairer of surgical instruments with a core focus on sustainability, has announced the launch of the ‘Surgical Holdings Academy,’ a pioneering platform designed to offer medical device education for healthcare professionals. With a shifting focus on greater sustainability in healthcare, Surgical Holdings is dedicated to supporting the sector in taking proactive steps to decarbonise through a circular economy approach focused on instrument reuse and repair.

The Surgical Holdings Academy, launching in January 2024, will deliver vital education on how medical devices fit into the equation, equipping healthcare professionals and operating teams with solid understanding and insight into what goes into manufacturing, materials, function and performance of common and complex surgical instrumentation that are used daily to save lives.

The sessions, covering key areas such as maintenance, fault detection and diagnosis, aim to equip them with vital knowledge on how to care for their instruments and prolong their lifespan.

With the NHS’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, the Surgical Holdings Academy aligns seamlessly with this vision, emphasising the pivotal role of reusable surgical instruments in reducing healthcare’s carbon footprint.

Mark Pullen, Training Manager at Surgical Holdings, said: “At Surgical Holdings, our mission goes beyond manufacturing products; it’s about educating stakeholders on the profound implications of sustainability in healthcare. By embracing a circular economy – prioritising recycling, reusing and extending product lifespans – we’re not only enhancing sustainability but also elevating patient safety. Now with focus on the circular economy, the first ‘quick win’ of this is not breaking devices in the first place. The launch of the Surgical Holdings Academy is a pivotal step towards advancing education in this critically important area.”

The NHS’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions and initiatives like the Green Theatre Checklist underscore the urgency for sustainable healthcare practices. Integrating reuse and repair lies at the forefront of enabling the NHS and wider healthcare sector to meet their targets for decarbonisation.

Using its 35-year history as skilled Craftsman and suppliers of surgical instruments to the NHS, Surgical Holdings remains at the forefront of championing greater sustainability in healthcare. All repairs are carried out by a team of highly skilled technicians, who are trained in both manufacture and repair. The company is keen to pass on that wealth of knowledge, believing it is important to educate and train others to help them get the most out of each surgical instrument, so they last for many years.

Mark adds: “The significance of a circular economy is growing across industries, including healthcare, emphasising the importance of recycling, reusing, and extending the lifespan of products and devices to make equipment more sustainable – many of which have huge implications for patient safety. Surgical instruments play a crucial role in this process due to their significance in medical procedures. Our ongoing mission is to educate our stakeholders on this incredibly importance topic.”

The Surgical Holdings Academy’s first event, taking place on 22 February 2024, invites healthcare professionals to delve into the basics of surgical instruments, including their repair, maintenance and manufacture.

For more information and to register for the session, visit: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/0847df83-2871-4537-bf7f-57e564135dbf@fc84da7e-3cb9-44c5-a37b-f903f8f2b6f0