The Wyong Emergency Department Sustainable Healthcare Team (SustainED) is a staff-led program dedicated to maintaining and improving patient care while reducing waste, improving efficiency, and minimising the environmental impact of healthcare delivery.
Since October 2025, the team has introduced several practical changes to improve how care is delivered. The flagship “Right Test, Right Time: Pathology” project, developed with NSW Health Pathology, reduced unnecessary pathology tests by 7%. Additional initiatives include using reusable tourniquets, compostable kidney dish substitutions, and using lower-emission pain relief options instead of nitrous oxide. These changes have saved more than $500,000, reduced the number of disposable items from landfill, and lowered carbon emissions.
SustainED is helping make sustainability part of everyday practice through education and system redesign. It is scalable and expanding across the local health district, with potential for statewide use.
