Bringing together patients, clinicians, renal technicians and others to share ideas for sustainable kidney care.

Can you bear the waste?

Children from Hippo and Victoria wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital have created an almost life-size polar bear from discarded haemodialysis packaging with the help of artist Darcy Turner. The project coincides with other initiatives across the UK, as renal departments challenge medical equipment manufacturers to reduce waste and increase recycling opportunities.

Green Nephrology Summit 2010

(Download the Summit repor

Not wasted - kidney patient Andy Williamson speaks at 2010 Summit

Green Nephrology Programme, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

October, 2010

Green Nephrology Summit - "the greatest untapped resource in healthcare is the patient"

The conversation in green nephrology has changed. Though water reclamation, recycling and energy saving are still important, a fly on the wall at last week’s Green Nephrology Summit would have heard just as much about “telephone clinics”, “RenalPatientView*”, “patient self-care”, “shared decision-making”…

Treading Lightly in Green Nephrology

Simon Daniel blogs about his experience as Green Nephrology Local Representative in Bristol.

Carbon footprint of a renal service points finger at drugs and equipment

A carbon footprint study of a UK renal service, undertaken by Green Nephrology Fellow, Dr Andy Connor, and published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicinethis month, confirms the importance of tackling supply chain emissions, revealing that the procurement of goods and services accounts for 72% of the carbon impact of kidney care. Within procurement, the majority of emissions are attributable to pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and waste services.

Recruiting! Green Nephrology Fellowship 2010-11

The Green Nephrology programme is looking for an enthusiastic health professional with experience in kidney care. After a brilliant first year, the programme is seeking to build the national Green Nephrology Network and raise its profile in the renal community.

Green Nephrology appeal

Donations are urgently needed to save the world’s first sustainable clinical specialty programme! Green Nephrology has been a fantastic success this year - but unless funds can be found, the programme will have to close down in September 2010.

Green Nephrology at the BRS RA

The Green Nephrology team had a busy week at the joint Renal Association and British Renal Society meeting last week, culminating in what was (probably) the first session devoted entirely to sustainability at a national meeting of any medical specialty.

Green Nephrology flourishing in lean times

The quest for financial savings was a recurring theme at the British Renal Society / Renal Association annual conference this month, and the Green Nephrology programme had plenty to offer.

Let's Talk Paper!

Have you ever thought about how much paper we dispose of on a daily basis whilst at work? No, well you should. The other day I was putting a patient on dialysis...

Get behind the 10:10 Campaign by taking action in your renal unit.

This year, 10:10 is bringing together thousands of individuals and organisations from across the country to work towards a common goal - a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions during 2010. The Green Nephrology programme is running its own 10:10 initiative and has produced a renal unit 10:10 action checklist.

Driving Round in Circles

Have you ever wondered how many miles patients drive to attend for the investigations you request for them? Or what impact this might have on the environment? I have. But nobody could tell me. So I've worked it!

Green Nephrology

An update on the Green Nephrology Project and reflections on my first few months as the Green Nephrology Fellow.

Green Nephrology Fellow in post!

The Campaign for Greener Healthcare is delighted to welcome Dr Andrew Connor to his new post as "Green Nephrology Fellow". Over the next year, Andrew will be exploring the environmental impacts of kidney care and working with NHS staff and patients to improve practice in kidney units.

Green Nephrology Summit

On 25th February the Campaign for Greener Healthcare hosted the first Green Nephrology Summit. Sponsored by Baxter Healthcare the event provided a forum to share experience and discuss ideas on how to transform the renal clinical pathway.

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Browse this Networks's Resources in the Resource Library

The carbon footprint of waste streams in a UK hospital

This article by CSH's Sustainable Surgery Fellow, Chantelle Rizan, and co-authors, provides greenhouse gas emission factors for the different healthcare waste streams in the UK.

Highlights:

Journal of Cleaner Production

December, 2020

Environmental impact of PPE in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Article: Environmental impact of Personal Protective Equipment supplied to health and social care services in England in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chantelle Rizan, Malcolm Reed, Mahmood F Bhutta

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

December, 2020

The environmental footprint of health care: a global assessment

Background: Health-care services are necessary for sustaining and improving human wellbeing, yet they have an environmental footprint that contributes to environment-related threats to human health.

July, 2020

Recording: National Allied Health Professions Sustainability Webinar

This is a recording of the AHP Sustainability webinar from June 18th 2020, part of the National Allied Health Professions fornightly webinar series.

June, 2020

Green Nephrology review article

John Agar and Katherine Barraclough have produced a fantastic review looking at the impacts of environmental change on kidney health as well as the environmental damage caused by kidney services (especially dialysis) and strategies to mitigate this.

Nature Reviews Nephrology

February, 2020

Prescribing Movement resource

This toolkit gives you everything you need for a 1 minute, 5 minute and even more minute conversation, complete with step-by-step guides, behavioural change insights and all the evidence to back it up.

Moving Medicine

January, 2020

Health Care’s Climate Footprint Report HCWH / ARUP

Health Care’s Climate Footprint: How the Health Sector Contributes to the Global Climate Crisis and Opportunities for Action.

September, 2019

Outpatients: the future – adding value through sustainability

The Royal College of Physicians published a new report 'Outpatients: the future – adding value through sustainability' which seeks to re-evaluate the purpose of outpatient care and align those objectives with modern-day living and expectations.

November, 2018

RCP video on NHS environmental impact

Short animation to raise awareness of the NHS contribution to environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution, and encourage health professionals to look for environmentally friendly ways to practise.

Royal College of Physicians

September, 2018

Sustainability in Quality Improvement learning resources

Sustainability has been recognised as a domain of quality in healthcare, and building it into quality improvement (QI) is a practical way to drive incremental change towards a more ethical, sustainable health system.

Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

March, 2017

We're hiring! QI Education Fellow 2021-22

CSH is seeking to appoint a qualified health professional to an Education Fellowship, working on a project to support the inclusion of sustainability in quality improvement education for undergraduate medical students, postgraduate doctors and other health professionals.