Adapting and building resilience in the health sector
Fri, 10/28/2022 - 14:05
“The UK will face significant further changes in climate to 2050 and beyond, even if the world is on a Paris-aligned emissions trajectory. By 2050 the heatwave of 2018 will be a typical summer, summer rainfall could fall by as much as 24% and winter rainfall increase by as much as 16%, changes that will impact our wellbeing, the natural environment and the economy… but adaptation remains the Cinderella of climate change, still sitting in rags by the stove: under-resourced, under-funded and often ignored.” Baroness Brown, Chair of the Adaptation Committee, Climate Change Committee, June 2021
On 14 October, Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission Adaptation and Resilience Panel in partnership with The Green Estate CIC and Thrive by Design held an event to explore Adapting and Building Resilience for the Health and Well-being of all our communities. The event was designed as part of a wider process to work with health professionals to develop an outline strategy on how to address the climate and nature and health and wellbeing agendas in a joined up way to make a tangible difference for the most vulnerable people in our society.
The event convened a coalition of the willing, people from integrated care partnerships, NHS trusts, local government, fire service, public health and community organisations together with members of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission. The session involved in-depth discussions on the key issues for Yorkshire and Humber. Attendees explored what good looks like for us in 2030, and what steps we could take to get there.
There were three thought provoking context-setting presentations from the following speakers:
- Rosa Foster, Co-Director of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission who introduced the Commission and why it is so important that we talk about and take action on adaptation and resilience
- Alexis Percival, Environmental and Sustainability Manager for Yorkshire and Humber Ambulance Service shared where the NHS has got to with adaptation and resilience and the impact of climate crisis on health and care services and on health and wellbeing outcomes
- Debbie Matthews, CEO of Manor and Castle Development Trust explained the current reality and struggles for people living in poverty and who are more vulnerable to the complex direct and indirect issues caused by the inter-related climate, social and economic crisis.
There is no doubt that the climate crisis is a public health crisis and that those already facing inequalities will be the most vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events, food insecurities, air pollution, increase in water borne and insect vector carrying disease etc. As we have learned from the pandemic experience, it is imperative that services and communities are as informed and prepared as possible.
Many people in the group acknowledged that no-one in their organisations and networks are talking about adaptation and resilience, for example, whilst all NHS organisations are required to have a net zero green plan, most NHS trusts do not have an adaptation and resilience plan.
The group agreed that we need to translate the complex issues we are facing into a narrative that is meaningful to people, and use existing networks such as sports and community activities as a medium to share this narrative and give agency and power to people to act collectively. This mirrors the approach of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission.
The session will be written up in full and we will be gathering evidence and undertaking a further impact session designed to enable collective action at a regional level. The end result of which will contribute to a State of the Region Report by Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, to be published in 2024.
This was an unfunded event with contributions in kind of time and thought from all the contributors. Venue and refreshments were provided by The Green Estate CIC and design facilitation from Tim Brazier at Thrive by Design.
If you would like to contribute to this agenda in future please contact Roz Davies, Co-Chair of YHCC Adaptation and Resilience Panel and CEO of The Green Estate CIC