I work for a healthcare delivery organisation

Thank you for your interest in embedding sustainability into your organisational QI approach

The climate and ecological crisis represents the biggest threat to human health and wellbeing of the century . The healthcare sector has a significant carbon footprint, with the way we deliver clinical care impacting hugely on this. Whilst healthcare professionals are increasingly motivated to reduce the harmful environmental and social impact of our health systems, there remains a gap in knowledge and skills in how to deliver more sustainable healthcare.

By joining the SusQI Academy your organisation has a unique opportunity to take decisive action. Integrating environmental and social sustainability into all health care professions QI education, training, and practice offers a practical way for all healthcare staff to contribute to building a more ethical, sustainable and net zero healthcare service, while improving care for patients.

The SusQI Academy supports the following organisational priorities

Improving patient care

Ensures all improvements and change processes are viewed through the sustainable value lens, driving improvements in patient and population health whilst addressing environmental, financial and social impact. Integrating the principles of sustainable clinical practice prioritises improvements in prevention, patient empowerment & self-care and lean pathways, directing us towards to the highest value improvements in healthcare.

Investment in staff

Ensures staff gain knowledge in sustainable healthcare and skills including how to identify and measure the environmental, social, and financial impact of improvement work. Through focusing improvement work on lean service delivery and waste reduction staff see time gained back, which can used for higher value work with patients, increasing job satisfaction. Furthermore, this SusQI evaluation has shown those taught the SusQI approach feel more hopeful about the challenges of climate change.

Delivering green plans and net zero/ decarbonisation targets

Supports organisations to embed the knowledge of why sustainability matters and how staff can contribute to change into existing methodology and education, ensuring knowledge of the need for sustainable healthcare is provided alongside the practical tools to make change. Once embedded into the organisations approach, the carbon impact of all projects can be measured.

Cost savings

Provides return on investment by delivering QI focused on reducing waste and its associated costs. SusQI methodology acknowledges there are finite financial resource as well as environmental, see case studies below where the cost- benefits of improvements have been highlighted.

Motivating staff in quality improvement

Provides fresh motivation for engagement with QI by focusing on sustainability as a domain of quality, aligning personal values with work practices. This SusQI evaluation has shown learners taught the SusQI approach develop increased motivation for Quality Improvement.

Fosters relationships between sustainability, QI, and clinical teams

Despite the knowledge of the relationship between climate change and health and the need to deliver net zero/ sustainable models of care, too often sustainability, improvement specialists and clinical teams work separately. The Academy helps to build connections between sustainability, QI and clinical teams through our team of experts who have a shared language across all areas.