World Earth Day: Four ways we're working toward green and sustainable care
Today is World Earth Day, an annual global awareness day to broaden, educate and activate the environmental movement. This year’s theme is “our power, our planet”, encouraging everyone to unite around renewable energy and take action.
We have a way to go but we’re making changes that will have a longer-term impact. Our Trust Clinical Sustainability Lead and Consultant Psychiatrist, Daniel Harwood, has shared some of the ways we’re working toward greener and more sustainable care for all our service users.
Daniel said: “If we build healthier communities, treat our patients using evidence-based care and keep them well by helping them build resilience through employment, occupation and socialisation, then our carbon footprint falls. It brings me joy to see people making sustainable choices of their own volition such as outdoor therapy, nature walks, preventing medication waste, nature volunteering in the community, making our psychosis pathway more patient focused. There is momentum building slowly and we can get there if we really start to work together.”
Reducing waste from respiratory care
Inhalers account for 3% of the entire carbon footprint of the NHS and yet many people with asthma are not getting effective asthma therapy.
A successful inhaler recycling scheme has been set up by Pharmacy, and pilot sites identified for a major project with Kings College Hospital on improving care of our patients with asthma.
Carbon footprint can be reduced by optimising preventive care and switching to dry powder inhalers where possible. We've just started collecting baseline data. It’s early days but it’s an exciting project.
Creating new programmes of Nature-based interventions
We’ve organised monthly nature walks set up with Recovery College in local parks to help service users learn more about local natural history.
Our Occupational Therapists in Lewisham are working with Council and community groups to provide opportunities for active nature volunteering work for service users.
Finally, we have new Nature walks on our Bethlem site set up by Lisa Waight (Chaffinch Ward), Adam Osman (SpR) and the Anxiety Disorder Residential Unit.
Enhancing biodiversity on our sites
We were successful with our funding application with Bumblebee Conservation Trust to enhance biodiversity and insect populations of three ward gardens on Bethlem site. This not only help the environment, it helps to make these gardens a therapeutic space for service users and carers.
Our first Bee Walk with Bethlem inpatients will take place on Friday 25th Aprilto survey bees of the Bethlem and to submit results to national survey.
We’re working on some exciting new opportunities for potential enhancement of Maudsley site in collaboration with Walworth Gardens Project. A huge thanks to Drs Patrick Bogue and Steve Church for their leadership on this project.
Making our food more sustainable
Kate Moffat (Dietetics) and Rachel Cable (Environment Officer) have been supporting us with offering an increased range of healthy and sustainability produced meal options in Trust canteens which will be launching in May.
