8.12 Let's talk sustainability: Climate Conscious Care in Maternity

The importance of being aware of the limited resources of the planet, protecting our ecological systems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, may seem disconnected from everyday midwifery practice…This session will outline how these issues are affecting maternal health, how the care we provide contributes to the problem, and how we can all be involved in creating the change needed to achieve a liveable future for our children and the children we deliver.   In 2020, the UK’s NHS was the first health service in the world to commit to being Net Zero carbon emissions by 2045. The initial steps have been heavily steeped in estates, travel and transport; but what about the care and services we provide? Are there practices that can be adopted in Midwifery and Maternity services that can contribute to more sustainable care? And if nothing changes, what are the potential impacts for our services?   Hosted by: Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert, Mayes Midwifery   Contributions from: Jo Frame, Midwife; Clinical Fellow, Chief Nurses Office, NHS England; Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellowship and; Alice Clack, Obstetrician, SusQI Education Fellow   Biographies:  Alice is a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a special interest in Sustainability and Obstetric Education in low resource settings, and has worked in Obstetric and Midwifery education projects in Liberia, The Gambia and Sierra Leone.  She is currently working as a fellow in Sustainable Quality Improvement at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and is in active member of the climate activist group, Doctors for Extinction Rebellion. She was also part of the Climate and Health score card project, and is currently working with other Obstetricians to develop a 'Sustainability and Health' e-learning module for the RCOG platform.   Josephine is a Chief Sustainability Officer’s Clinical Fellow based within Greener NHS and Chief Nurse’s Office at NHS England. Josephine qualified as a midwife in 2014 and has since worked in all areas of midwifery in south-east London. Josephine’s substantive post is as Practice Development Midwife, planning and facilitating MDT study and simulation days. She has continued to have ongoing passion around parental education, informed choice and supporting those at risk of social disadvantage health inequity. As part of her fellowship, Josephine is working towards embedding sustainability within midwifery and maternity care by identifying areas for opportunity and launching sustainable QI projects and by identifying areas for opportunity and launching sustainable QI projects working towards achieving the NHS Carbon Net Zero plan.   Register your free place today to get a personalised reminder from us.  Join us at 7 pm on Wednesday at this hour-long online programme with live audience Q&A to update your knowledge.  Live on Maternity and Midwifery Forum | 7pm London, UK | Wednesday's throughout 2022. #MidwiferyHour Listen to the Maternity & Midwifery Hour Podcast - Support us on Patreon.   Catch up on demand Every episode is available free after the live stream – this is created especially for you by Neil Stewart Associates and filmed by Narrowcast Media Group and is available from Midwifery Forum’s YouTube – don’t forget to subscribe to our channel.   Catch up on the highlights with our supporters - MATFLIX.