A Welsh nurse is leading the discussion on healthcare waste and how it can be reduced.

Rhys Roberts, a community nurse with 14 years of experience in the Cynon Valley, noticed a significant waste of disposable gloves in his line of work.

After discovering that more than £40m is spent annually on disposable gloves by NHS Wales, Mr Roberts decided to initiate a needed change.

Uniting with the Bevan Commission, a top Welsh health and care think tank, Mr Roberts has been propelling the cause of waste reduction in the NHS.

An inventive toolkit designed with the Bevan Commission is now being used in training sessions across Wales, encouraging medical professionals to minimise waste and save funding while also preserving the environment and enhancing patient care.

Mr Roberts said: "It’s time healthcare professionals began asking if they really need to use so many disposable plastics.

"It’s amazing to see just how many resources are saved by making small changes."

The movement is applauded by Carolyn Thomas, project lead at the Bevan Commission.

She said: "In order to reduce waste in health and care we need to be listening to more people like Rhys who can see the waste and want to do something about it.

"Plastics are just the tip of the iceberg, we are also seeing huge amounts of waste in time, energy and other materials that go to landfill.

"What could we do with the money that is wasted on these things?"

For further detail about this waste reduction initiative, visit the Bevan Commission's recently published 'Let's Not Waste' programme and its associated case studies online.