Sustainability in Quality Improvement Education project launched

CSH is launching a two-year project in partnership with King's College London (KCL), the Health Foundation and Health Education England to support the integration of sustainability into undergraduate and postgraduate education on healthcare quality improvement.

Despite growing awareness and concern about the climate and ecological emergency, as well as Government and NHS commitments on carbon reduction, there remains a gap in knowledge and skills for sustainable healthcare among health professionals. Integrating sustainability into quality improvement (QI) offers a practical way to fill this gap: addressing environmental and ethical challenges in healthcare while providing a fresh motivation for staff to engage in QI and directing teams towards the highest value improvements.

2019-20 presents a unique window of opportunity to embed sustainability in QI education for a generation of doctors, as medical schools have until summer 2020 to ensure that their curriculum meets new requirements on both sustainable healthcare and QI in the GMC Outcomes for Graduates 2018. This will align undergraduate education with future postgraduate training, as sustainability is also included in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ new model QI curriculum.

Through the project, CSH has appointed an Education Fellow, Dr. Stuart D'Arch Smith, and together we are working closely with key partner institutions demonstrate the inclusion of sustainable healthcare principles within undergraduate and postgraduate QI education, and share learning from successful approaches.

Sustainability in QI Education project is supported by the Health Foundation, an independent charity committed to bringing about better health and health care for people in the UK.