Sustainability and OH Flashcards
What is the definition of sustainability?
Able to continue over a period of time
On what 3 levels can sustainability relate to healthcare?
1 - Global sustainability
2 - Sustainability of the NHS
3 - Personal and career sustainability
Why is global sustainability important to health care?
Material inequality - Worlds wealthy are getting richer and poorest are getting poorer
Population and consumption - World population is growing
Climate change
Resource depletion
In what ways can the NHS have an impact on sustainability?
1 - Prioritise environmental health
2 - Substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives
3 - Use energy efficiently and switch to renewable energy
4 - Improve travel strategies
What would low carbon clinical care look like?
1 - Better at preventing conditions
2 - Give greater responsibility to patients in managing their health
3 - Low cost carbon technologies
What are the goals of the new GP contract 2018?
- Reduce workload
- Improve recruitment
- Adding additional team members to the practice team will allow GP’s to better fulfil their role as ‘expert medical generalists’
What are some positive factors that contribute to a sustainable career?
1 - Job security
2 - Financial security
3 - Working with a team over time
4 - Ability to fit work around lifestyle
What is an occupational history?
Chronological list of all the patients employment with the intention of determining whether work has caused the ill health, exacerbated an exisiting problem or has ill health had an impact on the patients capacity to work
What is the ‘fit note’?
- Replaced the ‘sick note’
- Facilitates earlier discussion about returning to work and rehab
- Includes considerations for an employer when signing the employees return to work
- Required if the patient has been off for more than 7 consecutive days
What role can occupational health play in supporting people at their work?
- Ensure health and well-being of the working population by preventing work-related ill health
- Provide impartial advice to employers and employees on the effects of work on health
