Sustainable Child Health

This course has been developed in collaboration with 'The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health'

This foundation course will explore the impacts of climate change on the health and wellbeing of children, on the running of services and considers how services may be contributing to the problem. We will outline a comprehensive vision of a system of care and an education plan that will maximise children’s opportunities to thrive and also allows the ecosystems which support them to flourish. Participants are invited to consider how the principles of sustainability can be applied in their settings, using a mix of theory and case examples. The workshop and ongoing support through the cafes will then support participants to develop and implement sustainability projects.

Please select one date:

Workshop: Thursday 23 May 2024 [9.00-13.00 BST]
- Self study period opens: 25 April 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 6 November 2024 [9.00-13.00 GMT]
- Self study period opens: 9 October 2024

If you have booked on a course click here for access.

Pricing structure: £100 - £250 + VAT

Course description

Human health is inextricably linked to the health of the earth’s natural systems, which create the air we breathe, the food we can grow, the proliferation of diseases and much more. This complex set of relationships is sometimes referred to as ‘planetary health’ and is increasingly recognized as a critical perspective in health improvement and protection. Since 1980 global greenhouse gas emissions have doubled, and human activity has removed over half the wild birds, mammals, fish, invertebrates and insects on our planet. The health implications of this are clear, and terrifying. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic starkly demonstrates this.

Individuals, organizations, and movements across the world have called a climate emergency to respond. There is a lot of work to be done and we are all needed. This course also highlights the leadership role education, health and social care staff can play in the exciting and urgent transformation of our communities to function within planetary boundaries. As professionals working with children we cannot stand on the side-lines; we have a duty of care to our patients, communities, and the natural world which is our life support system. There are many important ways to make a difference and this course is a starting point.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Describe the relationship between the global environmental crisis and child health and wellbeing.

Describe the role of different players in the ecosystem of care around the child in responding to the threat of climate change and the importance of partnership working.

Apply the principles of sustainable development to your area of work.

Develop carbon literacy and identify carbon hotspots.

Plan a sustainability project in your workplace.

Course Structure

The course is divided in to three parts.

Part I. Self-study online

Part I. Self-study online – Opening 4 weeks prior to the workshop, this section consists of 6 hours of interactive online materials, presented in bite-sized chunks, covering all course content including background, theory, and case studies, with optional links to further information. Discussion points throughout the module allow you to reflect on your learning and start to get to know fellow participants and their areas of interest and work. At the end of the module, you are invited to sketch out a plan for a sustainability project you might want to undertake, in preparation for the workshop discussions. You can see a table of contents for the self study materials here.

"It was informative and easy to understand and follow. Having everything laid out so clearly -- a mixture of text, diagrams, graphs, and videos helped bring it to life and keep concentration. It really helped me consolidate my knowledge and feel prepared for the workshop".

"I liked that the discussions were grounded in projects and tying into areas we can immediately effect and apply into our work".

Part II. Live online workshop

The 4 hour virtual workshop consolidates your understanding of the course materials. The timetable includes pre-session technical assistance and networking, followed by a review of the self-study material with Q&A. In small group discussions with CSH experts and colleagues from around the world you will then share your ideas for a sustainability intervention in your setting and make plans to address it, using the range of resources, tools and methods developed by CSH and partners.

"I liked the opportunity to network with other trainees. Definitely the examples were the most inspiring and felt practical too".

Part III. Mentoring

After completing the self-study materials and online workshop you are invited to attend our online Sustainable Healthcare Cafés. The 1 hour cafes occur regularly throughout the year and offer ongoing support for you to put your learning in to practice. They are a friendly, informal setting in which to:

Get support for sustainability projects from peers and CSH staff.
Make connections with others bringing sustainability projects into their workplace.

You are welcome to continue attending the cafes as many times as you wish. Upcoming dates are available here and will also be emailed out to you with your certificate of completion after the workshop.

Pricing Structure

Book here

Book a course with peace of mind: We realise that healthcare workers may have to change their plans at short notice. If you are unable to attend a workshop, we can offer you a workshop at a later date for no charge. We can also offer a refund as long as you cancel before the course opens for self-study, which is 4 weeks before the workshop. There will be an admin fee of £30 for refunds.

Courses are facilitated by experts drawn from the faculty below:

Dr Hayley Pinto, Education and Training Lead

Hayley Pinto is a consultant addiction psychiatrist who leads our Net Zero Leadership training and sustainable healthcare courses. Hayley has a degree in psychology and completed general practice training before pursuing a career in psychiatry. She has 30 years’ clinical and teaching experience in the NHS and publicly funded services and is a member of Health for XR, Psych Declares and a speak for Greenpeace UK.

Nuala Hampson, Pharmacy Lead and Senior Educator

Nuala Hampson is a pharmacist and educator. She sets strategy for sustainable pharmacy initiatives and facilitates the Net Zero Leadership training and sustainable healthcare courses. Nuala has over 20 years’ experience of clinical pharmacy in primary care and over 15 years’ experience in postgraduate pharmacy education. She is a member of Pharmacy Declares, a group of climate-conscious pharmacy professionals in the UK and joint lead of the Greener Primary Care Pharmacy Association. She co-chairs the national Sustainability in Pharmacy Education group.

Emilia Soulsby

Emilia was a teacher of sociology, health and social care and personal development in a Cumbrian Secondary school for 10 years and now works as network development manager for the Child Health and Wellbeing Network in the North East and North Cumbria. She is passionate about raising the profile of babies, children and young people and enabling their voice to be heard on all areas including climate change and the environment.

Dr Rosie Spooner

Rosie is a Paediatric Trainee (St5) in Severn Deanery and CSH QI Education Fellow (2020-2021), working with universities and postgraduate education programmes to support the integration of sustainable healthcare into Quality Improvement teaching. She comes from a background in environmental activism, successfully lobbying the RCPCH to declare a climate emergency and established a hospital allotment society whilst a medical student in London.

Dr Emily Parker

Dr Emily Parker Emily is a paediatric doctor based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. She is currently undertaking a clinical fellowship with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health focused on education and advocacy for clean air. Emily was a CSH Paediatric Sustainability Fellow in 2022-23. During her CSH fellowship she co-designed a new hospital greenspace with children, researched medicine carbon footprints, and delivered sustainability education.

Dr Stacey Harris

Stacey is a paediatrician and Welsh Clinical Leadership Fellow in Sustainable Healthcare 2021/2022. She has an enthusiasm for quality improvement (QI) work and a keen interest in Medical education, in 2019 she co-founded a paediatric medical education podcast called DragonBytes. Stacey will be building on her medical education and QI work during this year by working to embed sustainability within quality improvement training and medical education. https://twitter.com/DrStaceyHarris

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