Notes from our networking event on 22nd Feb

Thank you to all who attended the Art, Music and Drama Therapy Susnet networking event last Thursday!

And a big thank you to our speaker, Sarah Garland who spoke to us about Greener AHP Week 2024.

We have attached Sarah’s slides here for those who couldn’t attend, along with these brief notes.

Greener AHP Week takes place every April, this year it will take place from 22nd to 26th April.

You can find the calendar of events for Greener AHP Week here. It’s possible to book onto the events from 18th March (all of which will take place virtually and be free to attend).

Sarah highlighted that although Greener AHP Week has been launched within the NHS (as part of their Net Zero target), it is open to all AHPs, and we discussed some of the ways in which AHPs can support a greener healthcare system. You can read more about why it’s important to be a Greener AHP here.

(Why is it important to think about sustainability within healthcare? Did you know that the health and care system in England is responsible for an estimated 4-5% of the country’s carbon footprint?)

An area of discussion was around how a stronger focus on preventative healthcare will benefit both people and our planet. The arts therapies can play a key role here, in that they have a relatively low carbon impact, and are ideally placed to fit within a preventative healthcare model. This is an area that collectively, we would like to see more research in – and we would love to hear people’s thoughts in this area!