Health visitors and climate change

9th December 2024

We are delighted to publish our latest Voices blog by Victoria Jackson, Lead Programme Manager – Innovation and Research, Institute of Health Visiting, as she shares latest updates and information on resources to help health visitors with sustainable practice to reduce our impact on climate change and build our resilience, and to support families and children with environmental factors.

Victoria Jackson, Lead Programme Manager – Innovation and Research, Institute of Health Visiting

At our Leadership Conference: Change for the better on 4 December 2024, we heard from two powerful speakers about the impact that climate change is having on our health and the health of our children.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah shared the story of her daughter Ella, who tragically died at the age of 9-years-old of a fatal asthma attack. Following an inquest, the coroner ruled the cause of her death to be air pollution. Ella is the first and only person to have air pollution as the cause of death on her death certificate – however, millions of people across the globe continue to have their lives cut short or suffer the consequences of air pollution on their health every year.

Professor Charlotte McArdle Deputy Chief Nurse, Quality, Safety, Sustainability, Innovation and Women’s Health, NHSE discussed the wider aspects of climate change and its effect on health, sharing the UN’s 2024 Climate Change Report. Climate change is now the biggest health threat facing us today; having direct links with non-communicable diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

When we look into this further, UNICEF has estimated that 88% of the burden of climate change falls on children under 5-years-old. This can feel overwhelming for health visitors, and those who work within health visiting teams. And it can be difficult to know what we can do to support families and children with environmental factors which feel out of our control.

But we need to retain hope that change is possible. There are some useful resources out there to support us as healthcare professionals.

The coroner from Ella’s inquest set out 3 key recommendations:

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines should be seen as the minimum standards for air pollution – with national plans to improve air quality
Currently, national air pollution limits for particulate matter are set at a far higher level than WHO guidelines. Legally binding targets based on these levels would reduce the number of deaths.
You can find your local air pollution levels on the Global Action Plan Clean Air Hub. This can be used to evidence conversations with Local Authorities and influence local decision-making to improve air quality. Health visitors have an important role to play in influencing policies affecting health – and we need to use our voice to advocate for families and communities. The Clean Air Hub also has resources which can be used with families to help them understand and make changes such as considering alternative routes, or times to play outside, enabling avoidance of the worst air quality conditions.
Increase public awareness of air pollution and its impacts on health
There is low public awareness about air pollution, and greater awareness would help people take steps to reduce their exposure to air pollution. The issue needs to be addressed at a national, as well as a local government, level including increasing capacity to measure air quality and monitor progress.
The impact of air pollution on health needs to be included in medical and nursing training and education.
Training resources:

At the iHV we are currently working on resources and training to support conversations with families on air pollution – discussing the public health aspects and its impact on health. These resources will be available in the Spring, keep an eye out on how to book on to these sessions.
The Clean Air Companion, produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) includes a suite of CPD resources and information to share with families
The OHID All Our Health: Air Pollution e-learning module takes a life course approach to tackling the harms of air pollution.

Tackling climate change is important for human health and its impacts extend beyond air pollution. Recent events, including heatwaves, severe storms, droughts and food insecurity, to name but a few, are linked with climate change. Recognising this, the NMC released in April 2024 their Environmental Sustainability Plan. The plan not only outlines what the NMC are doing as an organisation but also supports nurses, midwives and nursing associates with sustainable practice to reduce our impact on climate change and build our resilience.

All UK nations have resources and information specific to their countries to support you: