The NHS produces about 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions, and cancer care is a major contributor—but no one has asked patients what sustainable treatment should look like for them. This matters because the NHS must reach Net Zero by 2040 without compromising care quality. Currently, sustainability efforts in cancer services are driven by clinicians and policymakers, with little input from the people receiving treatment. This study fills that gap by focusing on melanoma patients’ perspectives. Through semi-structured interviews, the researcher will ask patients whether and how they want to be involved in shaping sustainable care, and what opportunities they see for improvement. If successful, the findings will produce a policy briefing for health leaders and an animated summary for lay audiences. The real impact lies in ensuring that sustainability reforms—such as reducing single-use plastics, streamlining appointments, or cutting travel emissions—reflect what patients actually value, rather than imposing top-down changes that might undermine trust or access. The work will also identify knowledge gaps and form the foundation for future fellowship applications, establishing a patient-centred evidence base for sustainable cancer care across the NHS.
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The NHS produces about 5% of the UKs carbon emissions, and has a target to reduce these to Net Zero by 2040. Environmentally sustainable healthcare aims to reduce healthcare’s damaging effects on the environment without compromising on high quality care. My research aims to develop sustainable cancer care. An essential step is to understand what sustainable cancer care means to patients, and to consider how their perspectives might be used to inform policy and practice. This study will focus on melanoma care, although findings will have relevance to broader cancer care. The objectives of this research are to: 1) Understand whether and how patients want to be involved in the development and delivery of sustainable healthcare in the NHS 2) Determine from patients’ perspectives the opportunities for improved sustainable care 3) Develop recommendations for policymakers based on patient experience 4) Identify knowledge gaps and areas for future research I will use semi-structured qualitative interviews with melanoma patients to understand patient perspectives. I will then convene a multi-stakeholder workshop bringing together clinicians, policy makers, patients, and third sector organisations, which will use interview research findings to initiate collaborative discussions of the opportunities, challenges, and priorities for sustainable cancer care. Study findings will be disseminated to diverse audiences, including a policy briefing for health policy leaders, and an accessible animated project summary designed for lay audiences. Findings from this work will form the basis of future advanced fellowship applications, establishing a foundation for ongoing work in sustainable cancer care.
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