Sustainable Health Newsletter - March 2010

Spring is in the air! But so is all the end of year pressure, so this is just a short and quick e-update. If you have any information you would like to add to the next newsletter, or the website - please contact Lynn.

Sustainability Network meetings:

Information from March's Sustainablility Network meeting, including presentation materials, can be found on the events report page.

The next two Network meetings will take place on:

  • Wednesday, 9 June in Bristol - this meeting will include a presentation by Torbay Care Trust about their AMR system
  • Thursday, 9 September in Exeter or Taunton - topic of meeting TBC, please contact Lynn if you have any suggestions.

SD Training Opportunity for Trusts

As an end of year opportunity, Sustainability South West (SSW), the region’s independent champion for sustainable development, is offering flexible Training/Assessment Vouchers. We will invoice you for payment in this financial year (2009/10), then your Trust can use the ‘Voucher’ to cover the cost of training or sustainability assessments in the 2010/11 financial year, thus helping to manage your end of year spend. All training can be done in-house at your Trust and within a timescale to suit.
As Sustainability South West hosts the Sustainable Health SW project, all training will not only be linked to relevant national and regional NHS policy and issues but also offer the support of the regional Sustainable Health Manager. The training can help your Trust ensure governance and compliance with upcoming regulations linked to Sustainable Development, including auditing (use of resources etc). There are a range of training options available – all of which are suitable for both Trust boards and staff and will be pitched appropriately.
Sustainability Master classes (2 hour – CPD Accredited) (Workshop costs approx £750 – 1000, including pre-session briefing and follow up).

  • Introduction to Sustainability: What sustainable development  means nationally, regionally and locally. Legal requirments and policy. Expectations of NHS Trusts. Links to other policies and unlocking multi-benefits   
  • Leadership for Sustainability: Designed to increase understanding of and to promote collaborative, efficient and sustainable working across service planning and delivery. Introduces a sustainability decision making tool and offers the opportunity to share ideas and concerns with peers and identifies best practice from the SW and beyond.
  • Making Sense of Sustainability: Applying sustainability principles to maximise the benefits and minimise the pitfalls. Introduces a simple and accessible decision making tool which will allow you to maximise the sustainability of all your policy/strategy and delivery and to avoid costly mistakes. It will help prepare your Trust for the increasing requisite to ‘sustainability proof’ policy and delivery, including within auditing and performance framework requirements.

Full day training is also available, a combination of an introductory morning session with an afternoon workshop using the sustainability proofing tool.
For information, contact Freiny Miles or phone 0117 929 0989.

‘Planting Ideas for a better Green Infrastructure’ master class series.

The master classes are an opportunity for all those engaged with the investment and delivery of green infrastructure (GI) across the South West to further explore and share the multi functional benefits that GI provides. Each session is a chance to learn from national academics and experts, discuss issues and apply your knowledge to your place, and aims to help you ensure delivery of better GI in new or regenerated places, and sustainable communities in villages, towns and cities across the South West.  These master classes are suitable for specialists, academics and managers in business, social and environmental sectors, including housing, land management, planning, community development, sustainable development, education and tourism.  Also for those directly involved with economic regeneration, to highlight the enhanced economic and health benefits and increased sustainability that GI can provide.

23 April, 2010: URBAN FOOD...how Green Infrastructure can ‘step up to the plate’ (Bristol)

Key Class Leader: Professor Martin Caraher, Professor of Food and Health Policy, City University London
Project presenters include: Food Up Front and Capital Growth (Seb Mayfield), South West example TBC

10 May, 2010: NATURAL ECONOMY...unlocking the economic value of the natural environment in the South West (Exeter)
Key Class Leader– Will Williams (Director, Natural Economy Northwest)
Presenters from SW Region include - Charlie Plowden

These masterclasses may be more appropriate for PCTs, especially public health and planning colleagues, so please feel free to pass on the information. For further details of the classes and booking forms, please contact Lynn Gibbons.

Don't forget...

if you have any information to include in the next newsletter or anything to share via the sustainablehealthsw.org.uk website, please get in touch!