Health
By giving higher priority to promoting sustainable development, the NHS can help to improve the health of local communities and the environment, and safeguard its own capacity to look after the nation’s health in the future.
Read the latest Healthy Futures Update
Our Work Programme
The Sustainable Development Commission's Healthy Futures programme is funded by the Department of Health to help the NHS and wider health sector explore how it can promote improved health and stronger, healthier and more sustainable communities.
With the largest workforce and property portfolio in Europe and a budget of over £96 billion, the NHS has the potential to make a significant contribution to people's health by supporting strong local economies, social cohesion and a healthy environment. The term ‘Good Corporate Citizenship’ describes how NHS organisations can embrace sustainable development and tackle health inequalities through their day-to-day activities.
The programme also works to promote a greater understanding of the interplays between sustainable development and health - and between unsustainable behaviours and ill-health – and how they could influence UK policy.
The Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model has been developed by the Sustainable Development Commission and Department of Health to help NHS organisations in England assess their own progress towards becoming good corporate citizens and aid population health, social cohesion, strong local economies and a healthy environment. Half of all NHS Trusts are now registered with the model.
| Good corporate citizenship discussion network |
| Need some good advice? Looking for best practice? Or some moral support? Join our online questions and answers discussion network and learn from other NHS colleagues working to become good corporate citizens. Enter your email address below to register. |
Our publications
» Healthy Futures #1-7
» Healthy and Sustainable – The NHS as a good corporate citizen
» Health Place and Nature report and slideset
» Good Corporate Citizenship - The Business Case
» Evaluation of the Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model
» The NHS and Climate Change - Slide set
Other resources
» Sustaining a Healthy Future – Taking Action on Climate Change – a guide for the health sector from the Faculty of Public Health on the importance of tackling climate change, and how prioritising action makes good business sense.
» The Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK – a Department of Health/Health Protection Agency report.
» Climate change and its impacts on health - presentations from a Royal College of Physicians event are available online.
» Taking the temperature: Towards an NHS response to global warming: A report by the new economics foundation for the NHS Confederation.
» Natural Thinking: A report investigating the links between the natural environment, biodiversity and mental health by Dr William Bird, for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Our Team
As Commissioner for Health, Anna Coote, leads the SDC's work on health policy and the NHS. If you have any questions or would like to contribute ideas please contact Jake Reynolds (Team Leader); Maria Arnold (Policy Analyst) or Anna Abbott (Policy Analyst, corporate citizenship and Healthy Futures).
To receive quarterly Healthy Futures updates on health and sustainable development, please contact Susan Gransden.
