Sustainability and Occupational Health Flashcards
What is the definition of sustainability?
Able to continue over a period of time
What are the 3 levels of sustainability that relate to healthcare?
Global sustainability
Sustainability of the NHS
Personal and career sustainability
Give 6 reasons why global sustainability is important to healthcare
Material inequality
Population and consumption
Resource depletion
Climate change
Loss of biodiversity
Crisis in healthcare
Why is material inequality important to healthcare?
World’s wealthy are getting richer while at least half the world’s population live on less than £1.30/day.
The UN estimated in 1998 that the Millennium Goal of basic education for all could be attained by additional global investment of £3.8 billion; in 1998 in USA £5 billion was spent on cosmetics, Europe spent £6.9 billion on ice cream
Why is population and consumption important to healthcare?
The world population is growing. In 2011 it was 7 billion, it is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2040.
More people means the need for more space, energy, food and water.
This is made worse by the fact that people in the developing world aspire to what the developed has by way of material goods and food.
Why is resource depletion important to healthcare?
By 2005 it was estimated we had consumed half of the earth’s extractable reserves of oil and gas and that they are likely to be completely depleted by the end of the 21st century.
Water also becoming more scarce.
We will be more dependant on alternative sources of energy in the future e.g. nuclear power, shale oil, fracking
Why is climate change important to healthcare?
Evidence from climate science is now strongly indicative that the world is getting warmer and that it is largely being caused by humans.
We have increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and deforestation, methane by increasing our agriculture from plants to animals and by so doing increased greenhouse gases ( carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide , and ozone).
We need greenhouse gases to provide a protective earth ‘cloud’ ,preventing wide ranges in temperature and maintaining air temperature at around 150 but we have oroduced the greenhouse effect by a change in the gas concentrations.
This impacts on food production due to regional floods and droughts, changes the environment with regards incidence of infectious disease eg risk of malaria , deaths from heat waves and droughts and leads to changes in human migration from affected areas.
Climate change will affect all countries, but will have the greatest impact on those who have the least access to the world’s resources and who have contributed least to carbon emissions.
Why is there a loss of biodiversity?
There is an increased rate of animal extinction due to depletion of areas of habitat
Why is there a crisis in healthcare?
There is a crisis in chronic health problems with increasing ageing population, increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes and increase in obesity.
There is a crisis in the cost of healthcare in developed countries is ever spiralling eg USA spent 17.4% GDP on health compared with 9% in Europe (2010) and these figures are increasing, unfortunately there is no evidence that spending more on healthcare actually improves health.
There is a crisis in healthcare use of energy eg 3% of the carbon footprint ( measure of greenhouse gases emitted through burning fossil fuels, always converted into carbon equivalent ) in England is due to NHS related activity.
Give some actions that can be taken to combat climate change
Increase use of renewable energy resources (that is any natural energy resource that can be replenished with the passage of time)
Modifying human behaviour, being more active.
Move back to more plant based diet
Educate on carbon literacy and numeracy
Promote patient resilience
Teach healthcare students that as well as human anatomical systems we are also part of a wider ecological system
We strive for Low Carbon Clinical Care and NHS sustainability.
What things can be done as part of this?
Prioritise Environmental Health
Substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives. Reduce and safely dispose of waste
Use energy efficiently and switch to renewable energy. Reduce water consumption
Improve travel strategies
Purchase and serve sustainably grown food
Safely manage and dispose of pharmaceuticals
Adopt greener building design and construction. Purchase safer more sustainable products
How much short term reduction in emissions is technically feasible in the NHS without compromising standards of care?
40%
Explain the NHS carbon reduction strategy
Based on national targets set by the Climate Change Act 2008.
Commits the health service to more than 80% reduction in emissions over the next 30 years.
So the health sector will be forced to reduce its carbon emissions.
The greatest part of carbon emission from NHS England is from purchasing of goods and services, 22% is from purchase of pharmaceuticals.
Sustainability is not just about more efficient use of energy in buildings but also of equipment and consumables.
What would low carbon clinical care look like?
Be better at preventing conditions
Give greater responsibility to patients in manageing their health
Be leaner in service design and delivery
Use the lowest carbon technologies
How can we better prevent conditions?
On World Health Day 2008, the director of WHO, Margaret Chan, forecast an increase in deaths worldwide from malnutrition, diarrhoea and infectious disease attributable to climate change.
Specialities should aim to tackle underlying causes of disease ; the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.
Make effective contraception more widely and easily available worldwide to help reduce the financial, social and environmental effects of unwanted pregnancies. Increasing access to clean water, proper sanitation and education on hygiene techniques such as hand washing.
