Sustainable Primary Care 

Course Outline 

This course was developed in collaboration with the Royal College of General practitioners and the Greener Practice network and is specifically tailored to health and social care staff working in primary care. It helps you understand why sustainability matters, offering an overview of the relationship between health, the health sector and the climate and ecological crises, describing the ways in which the health system itself is both vulnerable to and contributing to the environmental crisis. We then explore (using real world case studies) how we can deliver primary care sustainably, adapt to climate change and what the wider benefits might be. The course offers tips for how to ‘green’ your practice (using real world case studies), and an opportunity to plan a sustainability improvement project within your area of work.

We also consider the leadership role healthcare staff (at any level) can play in providing healthcare for all within planetary boundaries. As healthcare professionals we cannot stand on the sidelines; 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. 

“Finding out about CSH in the last 3 months has transformed my ability to convey the messages of sustainable healthcare.”          

Learning Objectives

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

1. Describe the risks the global environmental crisis presents to human health and healthcare systems.
2. Describe the contribution of the health sector, and primary care in particular, to the global environmental crisis. 
3. Identify carbon hotspots and understand the basic principles of carbon footprinting and sustainability in quality improvement.
4. Explain how to deliver healthcare sustainably and how this could help to address existing challenges in the healthcare system.
5. Apply the principles of sustainability to planning a sustainability project in your workplace. 

Course Structure 

The course is divided in to two parts

1. Self-study online
2. Live workshop online
3. Ongoing Mentoring

For more detail read below.

Part I. Self-study online - Interactive online materials covering all course content, illustrated with case studies, presented in bite-sized modules. The course is flexible to your interests and available time; a condensed version can be completed in under 2 hours using the module summary pages; the full course contains around 8 hours of more in depth study. A discussion forum allows you to reflect on your learning and share thoughts and ideas with fellow learners. A short video on the home page outlines how to navigate the learning platform and obtain your certificate of completion. The learning materials are available to you from the point of booking and for 6 months after your workshop date. You can see a table of contents for the self study materials here.

“Enjoyed working through it. Good balance of reading/videos to watch/discussion. Very well organised and structured. Lots of great links.”

"The examples were inspiring and felt practical too."

“Amazing depth of information and resources” “Bitesize chunks so easy to dip in & out of - v helpful when you have a busy life.”

Part 2. Live workshop online - The 4 hour virtual workshop consolidates your understanding of the course materials and then focuses on helping you develop ideas for a sustainability project in your setting; translating your learning into action through small group discussions with CSH experts and colleagues from around the world using the range of resources and tools. A separate certificate of completion is provided for the workshop.

Part 3. Mentoring - After completing the workshop you are invited to attend our online Sustainable Healthcare Cafés, a friendly, informal setting in which to:

• Reconnect with peers passionate about sustainability
• Get ongoing support for sustainability projects from peers and CSH staff.

The 1 hour cafes occur regularly throughout the year. You are welcome to attend the cafes as many times as you wish. Upcoming dates will be emailed to you after the workshop. You can also receive ongoing peer support by joining one of our Networks (including the Primary care Sustainability network). 

What Future Do We Choose

In the last half century global greenhouse gas emissions have doubled, and human activity has removed about 3/4 the wild birds, mammals, fish, invertebrates and insects on our planet. The health implications of this are deeply worrying. Human health is inextricably linked to the health of the earth’s natural systems, which provide the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we can grow, regulate the proliferation of infectious 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.  Individuals, organizations, and movements across the world have called a climate emergency to respond. There is a huge amount to do, which can feel overwhelming, but this course will help you identify how you can play your part. To kick off, we invite you to enjoy this evocative 2 minute video poem What Future Do We Choose?

 

Authors:

CSH are grateful to the following people for their contribution to the development of this course:

Dr Tamsin Ellis (GP and cofounder of Greener Practice); Dr Aarti Bansal (GP and cofounder of Greener Practice); Dr Georgie Sowman (GP; physical health champion for NE London; Co-founder Healthcare Ocean); Dr Vasandhara Thoroughgood (GP Colchester; RCGP Essex Climate Emergency & Sustainability Lead); Dr Matthew Sawyer (GP; Director, See Sustainability); Dr Rumina Önaç (GP; RCGP Yorkshire Faculty Sustainability Lead); Dr Terry Kemple (RCGP National Representative for Sustainability, Climate Change and Green Issues; Lead, Green Impact for Health Toolkit; UK Health Alliance for Climate Change); Dr Jen Young (GP trainee; CSH intern 2021), and Costas Visiliou (Clinical pharmacist); Dr SanYuMay Tun (GP; medical educator); Dr James Smith (GP; Asst Director of Public Health Studies, University of Cambridge); Karen Creffield (Practice Manager, Frome Medical Practice); Dr Shireen Kassam (Consultant Haematologist; Lifestyle Medicine Physician; Director, Plant-Based Health Professionals UK); Dr Honey Smith (GP; Chair Greener Practice); Dr Joe Barron-Snowdon (Junior doctor, Bath); Alexis Percival (Environment and Sustainability Manager, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust); Dr Richard Hixson (Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care County Durham and Darlington NHS; Co-founder of Healthcare Ocean); Salih Hassan (Lead Acute Admissions and Respiratory Pharmacist, North Middlesex Hospital); Dr Liliana Risi (GP; Provost RCGP North East London Faculty); Toby Capstick (Consultant Pharmacist, Respiratory Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust); Dr Emma Radcliffe (GP Tower Hamlets); Dr Mark Tyrrell (GP, Senior Partner Crondall New Surgery, Green GP Environmental Champion): and Kiana Mostaghimi (medical student) 

About the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare 

The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare is a registered charity working since 2008 to help the health sector reduce its carbon footprint and wider environmental impact. It is now one of the world's foremost institutions for sustainable healthcare research and practice. The team draws on knowledge and experience from clinical practice, public health, environmental consultancy, research and public policy to develop the methods and metrics to implement and measure sustainable healthcare.

© 2025 Centre for Sustainable Healthcare