Delivering sustainable healthcare: how nurses and midwives can lead the way.

Abstract

Climate change poses a significant threat to human health, with wide-reaching implications for healthcare systems, which are themselves large producers of carbon emissions. Nurses and midwives are well placed to lead the transformation towards more sustainable care. By rethinking care pathways, embracing prevention, empowering patients and minimising waste, they can contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change while enhancing patient outcomes and reducing costs. This article explores how nurses and midwives can integrate sustainability into clinical practice. It describes the SusQI (sustainable quality improvement) framework developed by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to support healthcare professionals to think about the 'sustainable value' of care. It gives examples of how teams across the UK have used SusQI, demonstrating that sustainable care is not only possible but often more cost-efficient and person-centred.