Case Study: Vancouver Coastal Health achieves operating-room sustainability and frontline-driven innovation with IdeaScale

Building a Sustainable Future with Frontline Employees

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), a major health authority serving 1.25 million people with more than 18,000 staff across hospitals, clinics and long‑term care, needed grassroots solutions to reduce the environmental impact of surgical services. To harness frontline insight, VCH launched the “Operating Room Sustainability Challenge” targeting the perioperative community and aligning with strategic and clinical priorities.

Using IdeaScale’s Spark platform, VCH engaged over 800 perioperative staff in a four‑week ideation campaign supported by a clinical sponsor and community moderators; ideas were evaluated with a multidisciplinary team using a five‑star system. More than 90% of suggestions advanced — from eliminating harmful anesthetic gases and sourcing reusable materials to streamlining workflows — and many small and large initiatives are now being implemented, with plans for further challenges to continue frontline‑driven innovation.

Vancouver Coastal Health

Rachael Ritchie

Director of Innovation