This interactive foundation course equips public health professionals with leadership skills for environmental sustainability within and outside the health and care sector. The course provides an overview of the relationship between public health, the health sector and the climate and ecological crises. How is the health system both vulnerable to and contributing to climate change and ecological degradation? What would a sustainable health system look like? What might the wider public health benefits be and how can we achieve this?
Please select one date:
- Workshop: Wednesday 11 December 2024 [9.00-13.00 GMT]
- Self-study period opens: 13 November 2024
- Workshop: Wednesday 19 March 2025 [9.00-13.00 GMT]
If you have booked on a course click here for access.
Pricing structure: £100 - £250 + VAT
Course description
The Public Health Specialty Training Curriculum (2015) reflects the central importance of sustainable development to health and the role of public health professionals in driving change, requiring trainees to “demonstrate leadership in environmental sustainability with a focus on the links to health and climate change”. This interactive 3 part course helps public health professionals to develop leadership skills for environmental sustainability within and outside the health and care sector. Drawing on real-life examples, the course explores how to incorporate environmental sustainability into public health programmes and hone advocacy, partnership working and strategy development skills.
This course is endorsed by 
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Describe the risks the global environmental crisis presents to public health.
- Understand
- mitigation and adaptation efforts and their potential health co-benefit.
- the principles of sustainable development.
- Understand the basic principles of climate literacy.
- Recognise what is distinctive about leadership in sustainability.
- Plan and appraise service developments with reference to the triple bottom line of sustainable value.
Course Structure
Part I. Self-study online
Prepare for the workshop at your convenience using our interactive online self-study module, presented in bite-sized chunks. You will need about 4-6 hours to complete the self-study materials which cover all course content including background, theory and case studies, with links to further information depending on your level of interest. Discussion points throughout the module allow you to reflect on your learning and start to get to know fellow participants and their areas of interest and work. At the end of the module, you are invited to sketch out a plan for a sustainability project you might want to undertake, in preparation for the workshop discussions. The self-study module opens 4 weeks before, and remains available to you for 6 months after, the workshop. You can see a table of contents for the self study materials here.
Really good overview of the main issues, well structured, with clear public health relevance. I enjoyed the breadth of it and helped me to think about sustainability in a more holistic way.
It was informative and easy to understand and follow. Having everything laid out so clearly -- a mixture of text. diagrams, graphs, videos helped bring it to life and keep concentration. It really helped me consolidate my knowledge and feel prepared for the workshop.
I appreciated the links to useful short videos I can also share with others. I would appreciate long term access to the course, as I feel it's a resource I will want to come back to in my career.
Part II. Live workshop online
The 4 hour virtual workshop consolidates your understanding of the course materials. Small group discussions with CSH experts and colleagues from around the world allow further exploration of topics that interest you and tips on how to translate your ideas into action. The timetable includes pre-session technical assistance and networking, followed by a review of the self-study material with Q&A. In breakout groups you will then share your ideas for a sustainability intervention in your setting and make plans to address it, using the range of resources, tools and methods developed by CSH and partners.
I liked that the discussions were grounded in projects and tying into areas we can immediately effect and apply into our work
I liked the opportunity to network with other trainees. Definitely the examples were the most inspiring and felt practical too.
Part III. Mentoring
After completing the self-study materials and online workshop you are invited to attend our online Sustainable Healthcare Cafés. The 1 hour cafes occur regularly throughout the year and offer ongoing support for you to put your learning in to practice. They are a friendly, informal setting in which to:
- Get support for sustainability projects from peers and CSH staff
- Make connections with others bringing sustainability projects into their workplace
You are welcome to continue attending the cafes as many times as you wish. Upcoming dates are available here and will also be emailed out to you with your certificate of completion after the workshop.
Pricing Structure
Book here
Book a course with peace of mind: We realise that healthcare workers may have to change their plans at short notice. If you are unable to attend a workshop, we can offer you a workshop at a later date for no charge. We can also offer a refund as long as you cancel before the course opens for self-study, which is 4 weeks before the workshop. There will be an admin fee of £30 for refunds.
Courses are facilitated by experts drawn from the faculty below:
Dr Hayley Pinto, Education and Training Lead
Hayley Pinto is a consultant addiction psychiatrist who leads our Net Zero Leadership training and sustainable healthcare courses. Hayley has a degree in psychology and completed general practice training before pursuing a career in psychiatry. She has 30 years’ clinical and teaching experience in the NHS and publicly funded services and is a member of Health for XR, Psych Declares and a speak for Greenpeace UK.
Nuala Hampson, Pharmacy Lead and Senior Educator
Nuala Hampson is a pharmacist and educator. She sets strategy for sustainable pharmacy initiatives and facilitates the Net Zero Leadership training and sustainable healthcare courses. Nuala has over 20 years’ experience of clinical pharmacy in primary care and over 15 years’ experience in postgraduate pharmacy education. She is a member of Pharmacy Declares, a group of climate-conscious pharmacy professionals in the UK and joint lead of the Greener Primary Care Pharmacy Association. She co-chairs the national Sustainability in Pharmacy Education group.
Anya Gopfert, PH Registrar, South West Region
Dr Anya Gopfert has been involved in climate change and health advocacy since she was a medical student. From 2018-19, Anya worked as a National Medical Director's Clinical Leadership Fellow at the Health Foundation and contributed to work on the role of the NHS as an anchor institution. Anya is currently supporting the Health Foundation on their Futures work with regards to climate change and is a member of the Faculty of Public Health Climate and Health Committee.
Maria Van Hove, Public Health Registrar
Maria is an academic public health registrar, who has been working on climate change and environmental sustainability for several years. She previously worked for NICE on sustainability, co-authored peer-reviewed papers and WHO reports on the links between the ecological emergency and health. She is currently researching the role of public health in the climate and ecological emergency at the University of Exeter.
Stefi Barna, Education Director, CSH
Stefi is a global health academic who has taught planetary health at Queen Mary University of London and public health at Norwich Medical School and Azim Premji University, India.