Climate and Health Toolkit for Public Health Registrars

Abstract

Abstract Background The UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH)'s Climate and Health Strategy vision is for the public health (PH) workforce to “lead on strategies to protect health and wellbeing for current and future generations”, and the UK PH curriculum requires registrars to “demonstrate leadership in environmental sustainability” (ES). However, UK PH training currently provides limited opportunities and support for ES work: a 2022 survey of 18 PH registrars in the East of England found that most (78%) had never or infrequently incorporated ES into past projects, due to uncertainty of appropriate sustainability measures or limitations of supervisory knowledge or support. The majority (89%) felt building ES into their future work was “very important” or “important”, and that a toolkit to support this would be useful (89%). Methods Formulation of this ES toolkit for UK PH registrars is embedded within the FPH's Sustainable Development Special Interest Group (SIG)'s 2023 workplan. The working group comprises current registrars recruited from diverse UK training locations. To inform toolkit contents, previous registrar projects incorporating ES were collected, via national and regional registrar networks, and through interviews with SIG contacts. Usefulness and accessibility will be evaluated following toolkit dissemination to UK registrars. Results The toolkit, structured by placement type, will include: advice on incorporating ES into common placement projects and topics; wider placement activities registrars can undertake to promote greater sustainability; and case studies exploring lessons learned from previous registrar projects that incorporated ES. Conclusions Formulation of a practical toolkit will enable PH registrars to develop knowledge and expertise in ES, equipping the next generation of PH professionals with the leadership skills to champion ES in our climate-changing world. Key messages • It is imperative that public health registrars gain the skills to tackle the health effects of climate change, but additional support for building these skills is required. • This practical toolkit will support UK PH registrars to incorporate ES into their work, thereby building knowledge, expertise and leadership skills around climate and public health.