College’s Trainee Climate Change and Health competition proposals

12 Nov 2021

As part of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s Climate Change and Health Webinar held recently, proposals were welcomed on an intervention or quality improvement project to improve sustainable working within the NHS.

Submissions were open to Trainees and, following 13 entries, the competition’s judges were delighted to confirm the winner and runners-up. Dr Megan Quinn (pictured right), Foundation Year 2 Doctor at NHS Lanarkshire, won for her proposed investigation on “Immediate Sequential Bilateral Cataract (ISBCS): Carbon Emission Savings”, taking place in the Western Isles Health Board area.

An initial study on ten patients in the Western Isles showed patients attended four appointments plus additional appointments in the bilateral cataract surgery pathway. Appointment details were verified via electronic records and calculations were based on such. UK Government carbon conversion factors were used to calculate the travel carbon footprint. This initial study showed bilateral cataract surgery saved 43.8kg of travel-related green-house gases per participant over unilateral.

Dr Stefanie Lip (pictured below left), Miss Amritpal Syan (below middle) and Dr Rishi Trivedi (below right) were our runners-up. Dr Lip’s proposal calculated the carbon footprint associated with hypertension management and to test if a digital app-based intervention will improve blood pressure control and reduce carbon cost.

Miss Syan provided an assessment on NHS uniforms to make them more sustainable and reduce packaging that comes from new uniforms. Dr Trivedi focused on the effect of travel within the NHS and proposed a rollout of greener, electric ambulances.

Other proposals received included addressing the ambient air pollution severity in patients’ rehabilitation, reaching net zero emission by developing sustainable healthcare systems that provide high standards of care for patients, and an app to access NHS and external-provider resources or ‘green’ initiatives.

Our College has produced a call for action outlining what governments and individuals can do to achieve a sustainable health service, which you can read about here.

Category: Climate Change