The hospital innovation saving money…and the planet PLUS The fanciest toilets in ManchesterHello,

You don’t need to be in a hospital for very long before you realise that they are like little cities, with their own ecosystem. And it turns out those ecosystems have been pumping out a hell of a lot of greenhouse gas into the wider world.

Helena Vesty has been looking into how Nitrous Oxide – better known as laughing gas – has been leaking from pipes in hospitals even though it’s hardly used as an anaesthetic anymore.

She found that Manchester’s hospitals were failing to use 99 per cent of the substance, despite lorry-loads being dropped off at the city’s hospitals each week.

“How does waste like that even happen without anybody noticing?” asks consultant anaesthetist Cliff Shelton.

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“It’s a bit like having beer on draft versus a bottle bar. We were treating our supply like it was a massive keg of Fosters that everybody wanted to have a pint of. Except that everyone hates Fosters and it never got sold.”

Cliff Shelton, consultant anaesthetist at Wythenshawe Hospital(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)

As Helena writes, it was the people who knew most about the issue – the anaesthetists – who eventually came up with a solution. And now, all but one of Manchester Foundation Trust’s 10 hospitals has stopped its piped supply of nitrous oxide.

As such, anaesthetic-related emissions have dropped from 677 tonnes to just 37, the annual equivalent to cancelling over 7,600 transatlantic flights.

You can read Helena’s piece in full here.

iflOPS(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Greater Manchester Police will replace its failing computer system in 2027 – eight years after problems first emerged.

The ‘frightening’ PoliceWorks element of the force’s iOPS computer system has been plagued with problems since summer 2019, with complaints about the £27 million software emerging just weeks after it was rolled-out.

Then-Chief Constable Ian Hopkins defended the system, but was ordered to resign by mayor Andy Burnham when GMP was placed in special measures after it emerged PoliceWorks had failed to record 80,000 crimes over a 12 month period.

Current chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said in March 2022 iOPS would be replaced as he began to turn the force around.

The force now says a new ‘record management system’ will ‘go live in spring 2027’.

Ethan Davies explains why, here.

Praise cultureYear 7 Proud Day at Denton Community Academy(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)

When Denton Community College was placed in special measures, inspectors said some pupils didn’t understand “the importance of showing tolerance and respect of others”.

Two years on, after a ‘remarkable’ turnaround, the school has gone from failing in every area to being one of the top performing in Tameside.

A big part of this is down to the new ‘praise culture’ which celebrates pupils’ achievements and encourages empathetic conversation.

Staff are delighted but, as our Parents Writer Emma Gill found out, the work has only just begun.

A rich history

We’ve got a new chief Manchester United reporter – and he can’t wait to get started.

David McDonnell has been covering the Reds for the Mirror for decades and takes over from our esteemed colleague Samuel Luckhurst here in Manchester.

David has been talking about his run-ins with Fergie and the deep sense of pride that comes with covering a team with huge global as well as local appeal.

“There is a reason United remain one of the biggest draws in world football, even when they have been unable to compete for major trophies in the past decade, and that is because of their rich history, stretching back to the Munich tragedy and the rebirth of the team under Sir Matt Busby, to the unprecedented era of success overseen by Ferguson.”

You can read David’s piece here.

The spenny way to spend a pennyThe glamorous toilets inside Sexy Fish Manchester (Image: Manchester Evening News)

What’s On editor Jenna Campbell assures me that TikTok and Instagram feeds are flooded with videos of Manchester’s best restaurant bathrooms.

“Swarovski-encrusted walls, golden seashell faucets, and walls lined with golden-hued mirrors perfect for snapping that all important Instagram story has become de rigueur in Manchester’s restaurant scene,” she writes.

“No self-respecting new restaurant will pass the test without at least some thought given to the bathroom experience.”

Like a modern day George Costanza, Jenna has compiled a list of the best toilets in Manchester.

You can read it here.

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Headlines

Closures: Sections of Mancunian Way are set to be closed next week for ‘essential inspection works’. Details here.

Arrest: A second teenager has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Mohanad Goobe in Moss Side. More here.

Brace: NHS pressures are set to begin in the coming weeks as hospitals brace for the start of winter, according to Manchester health chiefs.

Prost! Manchester Airport says more than 10,000 people will fly to Munich over the next fortnight as the Bavarian city marks Oktoberfest. It marks a 25 per cent uplift on normal passenger numbers to Munich at this time of year. That’s a lot of steins.

Weather

Wednesday: Overcast changing to sunny intervals by late morning. 18C.

Roads: A5067 Chester Rd westbound, Old Trafford, closed for roadworks between Talbot Rd and Bridgewater Way between 9.30am and 3.30pm until October 31.

A6 Chapel St westbound, Salford, closed for long-term roadworks between Blackfriars Rd and New Bailey St until January 19.

Manc trivia: Who was Greater Manchester Police’s chief constable before Stephen Watson and Ian Hopkins?

Worth a readSunday League team, Higher Poynton take on Bowdon Athletic, at Manor Farm football pitches(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

On Manchester Derby Day another fiercely contested local clash is taking place a few miles down the road. Bowdon Athletic are taking on Higher Poynton in division two of the Stockport District Sunday League.

Sore heads from the night before, muddy boots in carrier bags, car-sharing and p***-taking, it’s grassroots football at its finest. And for a couple of hours on a Sunday morning, for those pulling on their kit, running the line or just showing up to support their mates, it matters just as much as the action on Sky Sports that afternoon.

Damon Wilkinson’s lovely read about Sunday league football is a delight and well worth your time.

Trivia answer: Sir Peter Fahy led GMP from 2008 until 2015.