Shropshire hospital manager wins national award for transforming waste management, saving trust £200,000
An estate operations manager whose innovative ideas have transformed waste management across Shropshire's major hospitals has won a prestigious national award.
Mark Leighton estate operations manager for waste and water systems at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), took home gold in the Waste Champion of the Year category at the Excellence in Waste Management Awards, held at The Royal Armouries in Leeds.
Mark's initiatives and process have saved the trust more than £200,000. Amongst his key achievements are the introduction of cardboard balers and a furniture repair and reupholstery service, both of which have significantly reduced waste and costs.
He has also worked with staff at all levels to drive positive change, introducing new policies that have unified waste practices across all SaTH sites - including the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
It was a double celebration for the trust, that also received silver in the Best Reduction of Clinical Waste category.
The citation for Mark said: "Since assuming his role under two years ago, Mark has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in transforming waste management across the Trust."
Mark also contributed to the work that earned SaTH its silver award for Best Reduction of Clinical Waste of the Year.
Lee Wyatt, Director of Estates, said: "We are so proud of Mark and the rest of the team for their exceptional work to reduce waste and make savings across our trust.
"Mark has been exceptional in leading the way with key initiatives and encouraging staff to support greener waste solutions at our trust. All the fantastic work will bring benefits for our patients and colleagues.
"We are so pleased that Mark’s hard work and passion to transform waste management across the Trust has been recognised and he has been named Waste Champion of the Year."
