Sustainable Nursing Practice
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, Our Common Future - Brundtland Report). Sustainability in the context of healthcare is about progress in the delivery of high quality patient care for all by promoting the three elements of sustainable development - environmental, social and financial.
Last updated:
20/02/2021
Key Resources
Royal College of Nursing (2019) Responding to Climate Change - RCN position statement. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (no date) Sustainability - why it matters in health and care, and what the RCN is doing about it.
World Health Organisation (2018) Climate change and health, Geneva: WHO.
United Nations Development Programme (2017) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Knowledge Platform.
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The United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by UN Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for people and the planet, now and into the future. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
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Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Health
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Royal College of Nursing (2018) Freedom of Information Follow up Report on Management of Waste in the NHS. London: RCN.
Sustainable Development Unit (2020) Sustainable Development Strategy for the Health and Social Care System 2014 - 2020. Cambridge: SDU.
Sustainable Development Unit (2019) NHS long-term plan.
Braithwaite I (2017) Lancet Countdown 2017 Report: Briefing for UK Policymakers. London: Lancet Countdown and Royal College of Physicians.
Health Care Without Harm Europe (2020) Health Care Without Harm.
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HCWH Europe is a non-profit European coalition of health organisations working to transform health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint.
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NurSus (2019) NurSusTOOLKIT project.
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The NurSus project aims to develop innovative teaching and learning approaches for Sustainability Literacy and Competency (SLC) within nurse education.
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Cartwright A (2019) ‘Combating climate change - the view from maternity’, Royal College of Nursing blog, 11 July.
Many thanks to Rebecca Gibbs from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Professor Janet Richardson from Plymouth University and Mark Platt (former RCN Policy Manager) for their help with putting this subject guide together.
Books
Rich C R, Singleton J K and Wadhwa S S (2018) Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A Leadership Imperative. Second;2; Milton: Routledge Ltd.
Schroeder K, Thompson T, Frith K and Pencheon D (2012) Sustainable Healthcare. Bristol: John Wiley & Sons and BMJ Books.
Worley C G, Mohrman S A and Shani A B (Rami) (2012) Organizing for Sustainable Healthcare. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited.
Akhtar R and Palagiano C (2017) Climate Change and Air Pollution: The Impact on Human Health in Developed and Developing Countries. Cham: Springer.
Levy B S and Patz J (2015) Climate change and public health. New York: Oxford University Press.
Fetzer A V and Aaron S (2010) Climb the green ladder: make your company and career more sustainable. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
Griffiths J (2009) The health practitioner’s guide to climate change: diagnosis and cure. London; Sterling, Va; Earthscan.
Gerwig K (2015) Greening Health Care: How Hospitals Can Heal the Planet. US: Oxford University Press.
Book subject searches
Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.
Journal articles
Use these links to see details of journal articles on each
topic.
GreenFILE database
GreenFILE is a free database covering research into the impact of humans on the environment. Subjects covered include pollution and its effects on human health, as well as waste management and recycling.
Sustainable Nursing Practice videos
Royal College of Nursing - The lifecycle of a medical glove
Barts Health NHS Trust: The power of sustainability.
Barts Health NHS Trust - Cleaner air for East London
Plymouth University: Nursing sustainability by design.
Royal College of Physicians - Healthcare sustainability
The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare - Green Walking in Mental Health Recovery
Green Walking in Mental Health Recovery aims to promote and improve access to green spaces for general adult psychiatric inpatients. It is funded by a grant from the Network for Social Change and delivered by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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Lee Kattenhorn
Editor of this guide
RCN Library and Archive Service
Page last updated - 20/02/2021
