Green Nephrology programme cutting waste

A staff‑led initiative across dialysis units run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is making treatment more sustainable.

The Green Nephrology programme, developed by staff at the Oxford Kidney Unit at the Churchill Hospital, is reducing unnecessary waste, while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and care.

Dialysis is a life‑saving treatment that removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do so effectively.

Haemodialysis, a specific type of dialysis, is a resource‑intensive treatment, using around 500 litres of water per session and generating approximately 2.5kg of waste. With about 105,000 haemodialysis treatments delivered by OUH each year, even small changes can have a meaningful impact.

Led by Dr Ayushi Gupta, Renal Registrar, the team has already delivered a series of practical improvements. These include:

• Removing saline priming bags in one unit, saving approximately £1,400 per week and is now being scaled across other clinical areas.
• Two units moving away from using approximately 300 disposable cups a week, saving nearly £2,000 a year and reducing waste.
• Improving how dialysis machines are managed between treatments to avoid unnecessary water and electricity use, projected to save the Trust about £10,000 per year in electricity costs.
• Working with patients who now bring their own blankets to reduce laundering demands.

These steps are already cutting waste, saving resources, and making day‑to‑day work more efficient.

The Trust is sharing this work as part of World Kidney Day on 12 March, which highlights kidney health and the importance of sustainable care.

Dr Ayushi Gupta, a Renal Registrar at OUH, said: "What has made this programme work is the way ideas and energy have flowed between our units. A small win at one site – a team switching to reusable cups, or a nurse spotting a way to reduce unnecessary saline use – quickly becomes inspiration for another. That cross-pollination is what turns individual acts into a genuine shift in culture."

Green Nephrology 'champions' are now in place across all dialysis units to help maintain momentum and support further innovation. This includes OUH services at the Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Wycombe Hospital, Milton Keynes University Hospital, Whitehouse Health Centre in Milton Keynes, Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury and Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

The programme has gained national recognition, and the OUH team presented their work at UK Kidney Week 2026 this week.

Future ambitions include exploring water‑saving upgrades to dialysis water treatment systems.

Charlotte Turner, Matron for Renal Medicine at OUH, said: "This programme shows how clinically‑led innovation can make a real difference. Our dialysis units deliver thousands of treatments every year, so changes that seem modest on the surface add up to bigger environmental gains.

"We are incredibly proud of the teams involved for driving improvements that support both patient care and our commitment to sustainability."