Carbon Footprinting for Healthcare

Course Outline

Climate change poses an existential threat to us. The NHS has acknowledged its contribution to greenhouse gas emission and set a goal of achieving Net Zero by 2045. But how do we get there? Though we know the NHS’s carbon footprint overall, the carbon impact of service changes, quality improvement projects or procurement of new products, is not routinely measured. In order for the NHS to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045, carbon needs to become an additional currency alongside money, understood by all working in the health system.

This course is designed to help healthcare professionals, quality improvement leads, managers and healthcare students gain an understanding of what a carbon footprint is, what a life cycle analysis is, how it is measured and how it can be used in the efforts to reach net zero. We will also explore existing carbon footprinting studies in healthcare and what can be learned from them. We recommend participation in one of our sustainable healthcare courses before joining Carbon Footprinting for Healthcare, however, it is not a requirement.

“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:

Recognise the interconnectedness of health, healthcare and climate change.
Understand what a carbon footprint is, why it is important to measure it, and how the two main carbon footprinting methodologies differ.
Identify the steps in estimating a carbon footprint of a quality improvement project or clinical pathway.
Find and use carbon conversion factors.
Recognise good practice in carbon footprinting studies in healthcare.
Practice carbon footprinting on a small/simple quality improvement project

Course structure

This course is delivered in three parts:

Self-study online
Live workshop online
Work in Progress follow up session online

Part 1: Self study online - 4-6 hours of interactive online materials, presented in bite-sized modules, covering all course content illustrated with case studies. A discussion forum allows you to meet fellow participants and get to know each other's areas of interest and work. A short video on the home page outlines how to navigate the learning platform and obtain your certificate of completion. These learning materials are available to you from the point of booking and you will continue to have access to them for 6 months after the workshop. You can see a table of contents for the self study materials here.

“I appreciated the opportunity to go through all the materials at my own pace, grouped into small manageable segments.” - Course participant, July 2020

Part 2: Live workshop online - This 4 hour virtual workshop consolidates your understanding of the course materials. Small group discussions with CSH experts and colleagues from around the world allow further exploration of carbon footprinting methodologies and how to apply them in the healthcare context. In breakout groups, you will have the opportunity to develop your own ideas for a project whose carbon footprint you would like to measure and how to approach this. A separate certificate of completion is provided for the workshop.

“I got different viewpoints I hadn’t considered - what worked, what didn't, who to speak to. Good size of group … time at both plenary and breakout rooms for discussion and the networking, and interaction with the tutors was very valuable.” - Course participant July 2020

Part 3: Work in Progress presentations - We offer the opportunity to meet again as a group a month or so after the Workshop for a two-hour session to discuss how projects have progressed. You are invited to present what you've done so far, answer questions and take feedback from colleagues and facilitators. You can also receive ongoing peer support by joining one of our Networks (including the Carbon Footprinting for Healthcare Network).

“To know you'll have a hub with centralised resources and support will make a huge difference.”

"I liked the opportunity to network with other trainees.”

Facilitators

Rob Lillywhite, Assistant Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Warwick University

Rob's principal interest is systems sustainability and his research programme focuses on agriculture/food and healthcare. His work uses environmental accounting techniques (life cycle assessment, footprinting, mass balances) to examine the trade-offs and impacts that occur within systems.

Dr Chantelle Rizan, ENT Research Fellow at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust and Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Chantelle is an ENT Research Fellow at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, completing a PhD at Brighton and Sussex Medical School using carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment methodologies to identify carbon hotspots in operating theatres, and to evaluate alternative products and processes with lower environmental impact. Her research is funded by Health Education England and the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng), where she is a current Surgical Research Fellow. Chantelle is a founding member of the RCSEng Sustainability in Surgery working group and the Environmental Sustainability Steering Group at her local NHS Trust.

Ingeborg Steinbach, Carbon Modelling Lead, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

Ingeborg supports healthcare organisations and professionals to embed sustainability in day to day practice. Her focus at CSH is the analysis of the economic, environmental and social impact of healthcare organisations, services and ward-based quality improvement projects. She has been involved in the development of the global Eyefficiency tool, which looks at the productivity and financial and environmental impact of cataract surgery.

Rosie Hillson, Carbon Modelling Assistant, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

Rosie's work focusses on calculating the carbon impacts of healthcare organisations, clinical pathways, and medical equipment. She has a Masters degree in Environmental Consultancy and previously worked within the NHS delivering sustainability improvements.

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.