CLICK HERE to read the full report.
It was a great event and really to-the-moment in terms of what we are up against, presently, in terms of learning from cross-country comparisons on what, at a global level, we can do to address the impact climate change is having on health.
HERE IS THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Through case study presentations, Q&As, breakout groups and plenary discussions participants identified several key themes relevant to resilient health and public health systems. A full agenda can be found in Annexe 1.
Key themes identified
To build resilience on a national scale, an interconnected approach with cross-government working and transdisciplinary research, which considers health in other policies such as housing and transport, is required. This, coupled with an enabling environment for the translation of research into evidence-based policy facilitates quick evaluation of new and current interventions to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Resilience on a national scale would also involve considering the health and public health system as something that extends beyond its traditional boundaries and out into communities. Increasing the resilience of communities in Japan and the UK was therefore seen as essential; this included reducing the deep-seated inequalities experienced by more vulnerable populations. Targeted communication around climate change and health emergencies was noted as a way to reduce the spread of mis- and disinformation and to gain public trust.
The impact of compound pressures on the health system – such as a pandemic occurring under climate extremes with a cost-of-living crisis – was identified as particularly challenging for resilience. Of particular note, the limited opportunity for the health system to ‘bounce back’ after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of this on the mental health of healthcare workers. Developing clear response plans and prioritisation strategies was suggested as a way of managing these pressures. Integrated monitoring and analysis would also be needed, which could enable the system to rapidly respond to threats and ensure evidence-based actions.
Increasing the resilience of health systems was also seen as an opportunity to decrease its environmental impact. Adopting innovation and technology could aid decarbonisation, as well as increase the resilience of health systems. This opportunity was noted to be not without its risks, as new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to greater inequalities if not implemented carefully with the most vulnerable populations in mind.
Participants noted that education, training and research support underpinned a lot of the actions to increase resilience. Integrated training, both formally and informally, would be crucial in ensuring that the next generation of health professionals had the necessary knowledge and skills to respond to future threats. Whilst Japan and the UK have different political, social and cultural contexts, participants discussed that there were still many opportunities to learn and collaborate to address the key themes identified. As shared endeavours, both countries could:
· Share future-proofing strategies between Japan and the UK, including lessons learned and best practice from each country’s deemed relative strengths. Participants noted that much could be learned from Japan’s experience of disaster response and from managing an ageing population. Similarly, lessons could be drawn from the UK’s actions to reduce the environmental impact of the NHS.
· Identify pathways driving inequitable access to the health system and how the climate emergency exacerbates this for socially disadvantaged and physically vulnerable people. Share interventions targeting these pathways to reduce health inequalities.
· Identify where cross-sector working nationally and internationally is needed, including transdisciplinary research and cross-government departments to bring together traditionally separated sectors, for example health systems research, climate expertise, evaluation experts and public health professionals.
· Compare healthcare system evaluation methods and collaborate on finding the right indicators to monitor success of interventions and policies and develop responsive research infrastructure to study time-limited natural experiments, to improve rapid evidence-based policymaking.
· Share lessons learned on how to implement integrated planetary health and health system monitoring and analysis, inclusive of developing a skilled workforce and collecting robust data to develop early warning systems.
· Understand which communication strategies work well under different threat scenarios and with different populations within Japan and the UK. Share how best to target communication and engagement with the populations around health emergencies and climate change to lead to short- and long-term behaviour changes.
· Exchange knowledge and best practice about how to co-design interventions with patients and the public to create people-centred resilient health systems. Share strategies to ensure communities who do not normally engage in health systems are reached.
· Identify the pros and cons of using AI and tech-based transformations in health care systems. Understand how to mitigate the risks that AI could exacerbate health inequalities and contribute to climate change.
· Enhance bilateral collaboration to develop integrated education programmes that include the impact of the climate emergency on human health, in particular for early career researchers and healthcare professionals.
Participants agreed that by drawing on each other’s strengths, both countries can invest in health systems that can better address immediate and long-term challenges, whilst promoting collaboration, innovation and inclusivity.
