Authors: Dr Laura Ingle and Professor Sophie Park
The Primary Care Medical Education team within the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences has been awarded Sustainable Quality Improvement Beacon Site Status by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. This international recognition highlights our commitment to embedding sustainability at the heart of medical education and preparing future doctors to deliver healthcare that is environmentally responsible, socially equitable and clinically effective.
The Beacon Award acknowledges sites that demonstrate exemplary practice in integrating Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI; pronounced 'sus Q-I') into teaching and clinical placements. At Oxford, SusQI is firmly embedded within the Community Based Medicine course in Year 5 / Graduate Entry Year 3 of the medical degree. Each year around 180 students on their Community Based Medicine rotation undertake a GP placement across the Thames Valley. During this 7-week clinical block, the students design and deliver QI projects to address real-world challenges such as sustainable prescribing, preventative healthcare and efficient care pathways. The projects are developed collaboratively with stakeholders at the practices, in response to the needs of patients, the practice and local community.
General Practice is particularly well suited to SusQI work. Its commitment to Generalism places it at the intersection of clinical care, organisational systems and local communities, creating naturally networked environments in which sustainable QI projects can grow and connect multiple stakeholders, including clinicians, managers, patients and community partners.
Our students receive dedicated teaching on Commercial Determinants of Health, the four principles of Sustainable Healthcare (see Table 1) and the SusQI framework (see Table 2). This initiative follows the approach and structure set out in the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s Sustainable Quality Improvement toolkit. Supervision and support are provided by GP tutors, who themselves are supported through our educational programme, including the 2024 GP Tutor Conference themed 'Sustainable Primary Care Education' and SusQI-focused workshops at the 2025 GP Tutor Conference.
Professor Sophie Park speaking at the 2025 GP Tutor Conference
This work directly supports wider system change. In 2022, the NHS committed to achieving net zero by 2040, with an interim target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2028-2032. Achieving these goals will require both current and future healthcare professionals to be trained to work in a sustainably minded way. Beacon Site Status allows the Primary Care Medical Education team to share learning internationally, strengthens partnerships with practices and expand opportunities for research and innovation in sustainable healthcare education. Importantly, it recognises the collective efforts of our students and tutors who are helping to shape a more sustainable future for healthcare.
| Table 1: The Four Principles of Sustainable Healthcare (Mortimer, 2010) | |
| Prevention | Promoting health and preventing disease by tackling the causes of illness and inequalities |
| Patient Self-Care | Empowering patients to take a greater role in managing their own health and healthcare |
| Lean Service Delivery | Streamlining care systems to minimise wasteful activities |
| Low Carbon Alternatives | Prioritising treatments and technologies with a lower environmental impact |
| Table 2: The Four Steps of Sustainable Quality Improvement (Centre for Sustainable Healthcare) |
| Set Goals |
| Study the System |
| Design Improvement |
| Measure Impact |
Click here to read more about Beacon Site Status and the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.