Royal College of Nursing view on sustainable healthcare:
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the world’s largest nursing union and professional body that represents nursing staff in the UK and internationally. The RCN recognises the importance of sustainable healthcare and believes that nurses and midwives dedicate their career to improve the health and wellbeing of the population, but to improve the health needs RCN members needs to look beyond the traditional health sector and focus on the social determinants. Presently, RCN is developing sustainability by educating its members, working together with the UN in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working together with other organisations and healthcare providers to reduce inequalities, improve health outcomes, reduce the costs, and keep the sustainability of environment. The RCN believes that nurses are one of the largest groups of health and care workforce and nursing staff have a significant role in supporting the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable healthcare.
Links for further readings:
Why does sustainability matter in health and care, and what the RCN is doing about it?: https://www.rcn.org.uk/about-us/sustainability-and-greening-the-workplace
RCN respond to climate change: https://www.rcn.org.uk/-/media/royal-college-of-nursing/documents/publications/2019/october/007-878.pdf?la=en
The role of nurses in sustainability: https://www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/rcn-leaving-no-one-behind-uk-pub-009-653
I'm pleased to see this note encouraging nurses to consider green choices in their working lives and decisions. I would hope that we see, going forward, the creation of more nursing positions to enable this.
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