The Kings Fund has published two papers on environmentally sustainable health and social care. Both reports are based on a literature review and stakeholder consultation carried out by The King’s Fund on behalf of the National Institute for Health Research and the Social Care Institute for Excellence.
Happy World Kidney Day! A day for raising the importance of healthy kidneys everywhere. Prevention is of course the greenest form of healthcare, and WKD is a great initiative. But with 50,000 people in the UK who have end-stage renal failure, there is clearly more to do. So what role does the kidney care community have in stopping new patients from coming through the doors?
"How can we involve clinical departments in our Climate Week?" wondered the team at Whittington Hospital, which has been setting up a series of green events for 12-16 March 2012. The answer: a Green Ward Competition. Five clinical areas - including theatres - are competing for a £500 cash prize to be awarded for the best carbon reduction project.
The 2010 survey of Green Nephrology Local Representatives has revealed a range of local action under way, with cross-pollination of ideas from one renal centre to another. The survey identified a need for senior management support within Trusts, and for invest-to-save funding.
Royal College of Nursing activists were heading home to “green” their wards after training sessions at the Joint Reps conference last week. Despite a festive conference dinner the night before, the activists were soon unpacking sustainability issues from their workplaces and coming up with ideas.
The Green Nephrology team had a busy week at the joint Renal Association and British Renal Society meeting last week, culminating in what was (probably) the first session devoted entirely to sustainability at a national meeting of any medical specialty.
