On Wednesday 1 October 2014 NHS, public health and social care professionals, from the South will come together in Reading to discuss how to create a sustainable health and social care system. The recently published PHE and NHS sustainability strategy proposed regional networks to help develop and support the sustainability agenda. The South Regional Network (SRN) is organising this conference to promote sustainability and share good practice across the health care, social care and public health system. The focus is on practical examples: what can organisations and individuals do to make a difference?
Sustainability is an important issue for health and social care. A recently published national Sustainable Development Strategy describes the vision for a sustainable health and care system that works within the available environmental and social resources protecting and improving health now and for future generations. This means working to reduce carbon emissions, minimising waste and pollution, making the best use of scarce resources, building resilience to a changing climate and nurturing community strengths and assets. To address the challenges and goals set out in the Sustainable Development Strategy, the NHS, public health and social care systems in the South have established a Sustainability Network. The network is made up of local leads from across the health, care and public health systems that link local champions, networks, and examples of good practice. The network is growing and developing and keen to involve as many people from across the region in its work. The network is holding this conference on 1 October 2014 in Reading, to bring together health and social care leaders, healthcare professionals, voluntary organisations and other partners to share ideas about how the South region can begin to address the sustainability challenge.
The conference aims to begin to embed the need to work in a sustainable way across the public health, NHS and social care systems so that they can deliver the goals set out in the Sustainable Development Strategy in the South. The event will include the opportunity for those from local NHS, public health and social care teams and other partners to share and learn from best practice and innovation in the delivery of a sustainable health and social care system, as well as to share ideas and good practice around co-benefits activities which not only improve the health and wellbeing of individuals but also reduce carbon emissions and offer financial benefits.
