As a way of monitoring progress many Trusts, ICBs and primary care teams are measuring and reporting on their direct emissions annually, using the BEIS Government Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting database. This database is updated yearly to reflect national changes in decarbonisation, with the most recent version published June 2023. But what does the most recent update mean for NHS organisations, and will there be any impact on their carbon footprint?
In April, the Chief AHP Officers team ran the first ever Greener AHP week, to galvanise the interest and enthusiasm of the Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) workforce to deliver environmentally sustainable healthcare as part of AHP roles. Environmental sustainability is one of the five areas of focus in AHPs Deliver, the national AHP strategy for England; it is also a priority within each of the four UK nations.
Clean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign. As one of the greatest public sector carbon emitters in the world, the healthcare sector will need to make significant reductions in order to meet its net zero carbon ambitions.
Genitourinary medicine (GUM) encompasses integrated sexual health, contraception, and HIV services. Emerging evidence demonstrates the profound effect climate change will have on GUM. Therefore it is our responsibility as clinicians to take preventative measures and transform the way we work now, in order to protect our future.
In October 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change.
It is National Recycle Week (17 – 23 of October)! People across the country are encouraged to recycle more often, and in the right way. Last year, approximately 82% of people were more aware of recycling methods and stated changing their behaviour following Recycle Week 2021.
In April 2021 I enrolled in my first CSH course, Greenspace and Health. Although I had been involved with climate outreach and activism for several years I learnt so much from the course materials and had such a great time at the workshop that I signed up for another one the following month, Carbon Footprinting. A few months later I left my clinical role and joined the CSH education team. I’m proud to be part of an organisation with such an important focus and such high educational standards.
The Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC), now in its third year, is a student-driven, metric-based initiative to inspire planetary health and education for sustainable healthcare (ESH) in medical schools. There are metrics in five categories, which students complete with faculty support - curriculum, research, community outreach, student support and sustainability.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has highlighted the importance for nurses to understand the impacts of climate change on health, and pave the way for sustainable clinical practice in their work. Nurses are in an excellent position to engage in sustainable healthcare due to the wide range of roles they can take on and the variety of settings they work in, as they make up the largest proportion of clinical staff in the NHS. But why is this important?