CSH And The Queen's Nursing Institute Launch A Joint Nursing and Midwifery Sustainability Manifesto for the Incoming UK Government

As the UK approaches a pivotal general election, the nursing and midwifery community stands united in a call for transformative and sustainable change in healthcare. Today, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare in collaboration with the Queen's Nursing Institute, proudly presents our joint Nursing and Midwifery Sustainability Manifesto.

This comprehensive document outlines our collective vision for a climate resilient, sustainable, equitable and patient centred healthcare system, and we urge the incoming government to prioritise these essential changes and put sustainability at the heart of the NHS.   

Nurses and midwives represent the largest group of professionals within the health and social care workforce  They are a powerful force in the fight to slow down the health crisis that is being fuelled by climate change. Mobilising this workforce to practise sustainable healthcare and adopt carbon-reducing actions will support the NHS in reaching its net zero targets.  

The evidence is clear. Addressing the environmental impact of NHS care can improve patient outcomes and standards of care while also reducing financial costs. There is no down side to making sustainability a core, fundamental principle of the NHS and is something that all political parties regardless of what side of the political spectrum they are on should strive to accomplish.

As nurses and midwives, we stand at the forefront of health and social care, witnessing firsthand the impacts of environmental degradation and social injustice on the health and well-being of the individuals, carers, families and communities we serve. In light of this, we hereby declare our commitment to a Nursing and Midwifery Sustainability Manifesto, urging policymakers to prioritise the following initiatives in the upcoming UK General Election and beyond.

Please read the manifesto in full here.