Two new resources from NHS England are designed to help Trusts to respond to and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
The NHS Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool has been introduced to support NHS organisations in identifying and assessing climate-related risks to operations and their potential impact on healthcare delivery, as well as developing adaptation policies as part of a planned response.
The Climate Adaptation Framework provides a more holistic approach to organisational change to prepare for the impacts of climate change. It sets out four capabilities that every NHS organisation will need to adopt to become resilient to climate change, and provides step-by-step tasks to guide organisations through the journey.
Why adaptation is necessary
A recent report from the Climate Change Committee outlined how unprepared the UK is for extreme weather events and recommended long-term, protected funding to adapt hospitals, care homes and other healthcare buildings to its impacts. Going beyond mitigation to adopting adaptation policies is essential to ensure the NHS is resilient to current and future weather, enabling the health service to operate effectively under any conditions.
In the March/April issue of HEFMA’s Pulse magazine, Louise Elstow from the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, explains more about the need for adaptation policies across NHS Trusts.
