Environmental sustainability: the nurse’s role with Melanie Maddison

Let's Talk Nursing with Melanie Maddison.

In this episode, Samina is joined by Melanie Maddison, lecturer in Adult Nursing and sustainability lead at King's College London. They discuss the impact of the healthcare sector on the environment and climate change, as well as the nurse's role in promoting sustainable practices.

Throughout the episode, they explore a variety of topics, including:

• The carbon footprint of the NHS
• The impact of climate change and pollution on health
• Excessive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other unsustainable practices

Tune in to hear Melanie's three key actions for nurses when it comes to integrating sustainability into everyday life and nursing practice. At the end of the episode, Melanie shares her advice around communicating with colleagues about unsustainable practices and speaking to patients about the impact of the environment on health.

About Melanie:

Melanie Maddison is a lecturer in Adult Nursing at King's College London. She has 21 years of clinical experience in the NHS as a registered nurse in cardiology and emergency medicine, and worked as matron during the pandemic before joining higher education. She is one of the sustainability leads in the Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care department, and is currently leading educational reforms to reduce the carbon footprint of clinical skills teaching at the university.

Contact Melanie:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melanie-maddison-4146b6260

More information and resources:

Sustainable nursing practice: the environmental impact of healthcare

Rizan C, Reed M, Bhutta MF. Environmental impact of personal protective equipment distributed for use by health and social care services in England in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. J R Soc Med. 2021;114(5):250–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768211001583
World Health Organization - Communicating on climate change and health: toolkit for health professionals

BJN inform:

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