Project Leads: Clare Nash (Head of Clinical Products Management at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust), Janice Nelson (Deputy Head of Clinical Products Management at The Black Country Alliance, a procurement collaboration between The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust)

Phlebotomy is one of the most undertaken invasive procedures in healthcare. Purchasing data at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust showed that ~340,000 single-use tie band silicone tourniquets were being used per year. Keen to support the NHS transition to net-zero as well as improve patient experience, the clinical procurement team proposed a pilot of innovative reusable silicone wipeable tourniquets.

The pilot was facilitated by a £10,000 grant from the Healthier Futures Action Fund which purchased 450 reusable, medical-grade silicone tourniquets.

The team’s comprehensive evaluation, spanning approximately 1,000 procedures across four high-usage clinical areas (Antenatal, Phlebotomy, Critical Care Outreach, and Medical Infusion), yielded impressive results. Clinicians expressed an overwhelming 90% satisfaction with the new device, and patient feedback was similarly positive. While earlier studies raised concerns about reusable tourniquet contamination, this new silicone model was found to be easy to wipe clean and, due to its form factor, less likely to be a medium for bacterial growth over time. This was supported by the trust’s infection prevention and control team, who approved its use following a rigorous review and the implementation of a clear decontamination protocol.

Crucially, the evaluation demonstrated significant benefits beyond clinical preference. The reusable tourniquets saved money and reduced the overall carbon impact of the process by 80%. This case study highlights how a more circular economy, in which we no longer use once and throw away, can be greener, safe, better for patients – or, at least, present no greater risk – and more cost effective.

For a full breakdown of the evaluation, see the published article: Nash C, Nelson J (2024) Reusable tourniquets: their impact on patients, planet and public purse. Nursing Times [online]; 120: 8.

Design for Life