Last month, NUS hosted an event for UK health professionals to get together and discuss the present and future of sustainable healthcare.

At the event, participants looked at the root causes of the climate change - and how to tackle them - not just how to remedy the consequences. They looked in-depth at the real world impacts of planetary warming on society and economics, and how they relate back to healthcare. 

Jerome Baddley (Head of Unit, Sustainable Development Unit) discussed why sustainability is a key topic for health and social care, citing the NHS Constitution to show that the ideas of finite resources, fairness for all and thinking of the future as well as the present are central to the institution's ethos. 

Louis Pilard, Clinical Programme Manager at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (CSH), outlined some of the CSH's work engaging healthcare professionals. This included linking the information and messaging, combining what needs changing with what can be changed by the people involved, and learning from experience. Common barriers that prevent people from getting involved include a lack of time, a view of sustainability as 'nice to have' and not essential, and viewing the environment and healthcare as little connected. Terry Kemple, President of the Royal College of GPs followed this with a discussion on the difference between information and communication, stating that often information is disseminated rather than communicated and staff experience information overload because they hear too much, too quickly.

We also had sessions delivered by two current Green Impact organisations - University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, and North Bristol NHS Trust, sharing how they have been integrating sustainable practices into their wider policies and using it to develop their work on wellbeing.

Before ending with a world cafe to share ideas for developing students' roles in the healthcare sector, we considered two other important perspectives. Caroline Jessel, Sustainability and Transformation Lead for NHS England (South), looked at the opportunities presented by sustainability developments in healthcare. Discussing social sustainability, Caroline outlined that modern urban environments are often not compatible with fundamental human needs. For instance, public and accessible green space is scarce, which contributes to fear and chronic stress - and ultimately poor mental and physical health.  She talked us through some of the innovative ways these issues are already being addressed, but highlighted the distance there is to go.

Our final session included Haidee Harrison, a Medicine student from the University of Bristol, who shared a project she has been delivering in GP surgeries, piloting a social prescribing scheme. The project formed a part of the Sustainable Healthcare optional second-year module delivered by the NUS and the CSH.

If you would like to know more about our work across the healthcare sector, please contact jo.kemp@nus.org.uk