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Health and social care professional standards need to be updated to advance leadership and action for environmental sustainability and planetary health
  1. Sarah Walpole1,2,
  2. Aneka Popat3,4,
  3. Emma Pascale Blakey5,
  4. Eleanor Holden6,7,8,
  5. Ben Whittaker9,10,
  6. Ravijyot Saggu11,
  7. Amarantha Fennell-Wells12,
  8. Kirsten Armit13,
  9. Daljit Hothi13,14
  1. 1Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
  2. 2Centre for Clinical Infection, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK
  3. 3General Medical Council, London, UK
  4. 4Occupational Health, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
  5. 5Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
  6. 6Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  7. 7Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England, London, UK
  8. 8Medical Physics, The Harley Street Clinic, HCA, London, UK
  9. 9Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Oxford, UK
  10. 10Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Brighton, UK
  11. 11Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
  12. 12Office of the Chief Dental Officer England, London, UK
  13. 13Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, London, UK
  14. 14Nephrology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sarah Walpole, Centre for Clinical Infection, James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesborough, TS4 3BW, UK; sarah.walpole1{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Background Human health is inextricably linked to planetary health. The desire to nurture and protect both concurrently requires the mitigation of healthcare-associated environmental harms and global initiatives that support sustainable lifestyles. Health leadership is important to bring adequate attention and action to address planetary health challenges. Health professionals are central to this endeavour, but the will and energy of a few will not be adequate to address this urgent challenge.

Study We present an appraisal of the current UK health professional standards, frameworks and curricula to identify content related to planetary health and environmental sustainability.

Results No current UK health professional standard provides statements and competencies to guide practising and trainee health professionals to focus on and advance the sustainability agenda within their clinical practice and across wider healthcare systems.

Conclusion Update of health professional standards is needed to ensure that health professionals in every specialty are supported and encouraged to lead the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices within the health sector and advocate for planetary health.

  • sustainability
  • regulation
  • professionalism
  • health system
  • Education

https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2023-000889

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @sarahcwalpole

  • Contributors SW conceived of the study. SW, AP, EPB, EH, BW and RS refined the methods and carried out the analysis. All authors contributed to review of results, drafting of write-up and refining of the final submitted manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests SW and EPB are associates of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. BW is an employee of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. SW is a Trustee of the Healthcare Infection Society.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.