Exploring the sustainable impacts of a clinical healthcare research scholarship programme.

BACKGROUND: The NHS is the first public body globally to commit to net zero. AIM: This study aimed to explore the environmental sustainability impact of a hospital scholarship programme. METHOD: A sustainable quality improvement value framework was used to measure the programme's environmental, social and financial effects. RESULTS: The social impact through face-to-face contact was most valued by scholars; there were also savings in carbon emissions and costs. DISCUSSION: Training in sustainability is essential for the workforce but little infrastructure and expertise are available within organisations to support staff to provide sustainable healthcare in day-to-day practice. CONCLUSION: Sustainable healthcare should be supported by education and national guidance and implementation plans should be drawn up to this end. The social impact of the framework used is often seen as less important than its environmental and financial components; however, as its value to scholars illustrates, the components are intertwined and should be considered of equal importance.

"Concrete ways we can make a difference": A multi-centre, multi-professional evaluation of sustainability in quality improvement education.

Quality improvement (QI) projects are a mandatory part of postgraduate medical training in the UK and graduating medical students must be competent in QI theory. We evaluated an educational toolkit that links concepts of sustainable healthcare with established quality improvement methodologies (the SusQI approach, available at www.susqi.org). The SusQI approach was implemented across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate nursing and medical education contexts. Educational strategies included guided online learning, live interactive webinars, small group activities and scaffolded project work. The evaluation strategy was informed by theories of academic motivation, educational value within communities of practice and behaviour change. A simultaneous nested design was tested using a mixed methods survey with input from learners and teachers. 177 survey responses were analysed to quantify and compare self-rated impacts of teaching across different audiences. Qualitative data were inductively coded into themes that were categorised according to above theoretical frameworks. Participants felt that this was 'time well spent' and many described transformative impacts that guided their daily professional practice beyond learning about QI. We suggest that meaningful space is found within both undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare curricula for SusQI, as a way of engaging and motivating learners to contribute to the creation of a sustainable healthcare system.

Midwifery research in areas of deprivation and need: the MeRIDiAN project.

Background: Areas with high levels of deprivation often have the lowest numbers of research participation. In January 2020, a maternity research service was established at a UK National Health Service (NHS) Trust incorporating a project monitoring equity of access to pregnant people from areas of deprivation and need. Aims: The aim is to monitor maternity research opportunities for pregnant people in areas of deprivation and need. Method: A collaborative working group was established. Using the Index of Multiple Deprivation levels (IMD) levels; 1-4 were considered 'areas in need'. Data were collected over a 12-month period from January 2020. Results: Fifty-four pregnant people (3.1%), out of 1762 who delivered during 2020, were recruited to one of three research studies ('Big Baby', 'POOL' and 'PAN-COVID'). The majority of pregnant people (65.9%) who delivered a baby were in IMD levels 1-4. Recruitment within IMD levels 1-4: 'PAN-COVID' at 86.7%, followed by 'Big Baby' with 77.3% and 'POOL' at 70.6%. COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges which impacted research delivery, including availability of research studies. Conclusion: This project was founded due to concerns that pregnant people from areas of need would be under-represented in research. We have found that this has not occurred. Recommendations are being put in place to ensure equity of access for all.