Climate Change, Risk and Resilience: lessons for health and social care

This symposium, held on 21 October 2011, was a joint venture between the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and two ACN projects: Built Infrastructure for Older People’s Care in Conditions of Climate Change (BIOPICCC) and Design and Delivery of Robust Hospital Environments in a Changing Climate (DeDeRHECC). Taking the central theme of risk, its impact and meaning for service provision, and the care of people in vulnerable circumstances, over 50 experts from health, social care, planning, security, transport and the insurance industry explored responses to risk in general and climate change in particular.

Key messages emerging from the discussion were:
• A cross-sector, multi-scalar approach is required to address the challenges of climate change on health and social care.
• While the government’s localism agenda presents opportunities for strengthening local action on climate change, we must consider the information and guidance provided to local agencies and communities, to support capacity building.
• Changes in health and social care delivery present a number of challenges for the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation strategies. They also have implications for emergency response procedures.
• Both short-term and long-term planning for climate change and extreme weather events are required.
• It is important to ensure that health and other social inequalities are not created or exacerbated as a result of climate change hazards and risks. Services should be planned and delivered with this in mind.
The full report is now available on the BIOPICCC website.