Navigating health organisations through the changing climate: Leader education, capacity and competence in Canada and the United Kingdom

How the changing climate interfaces with human health is an important topic of inquiry. Human health is dependent on the lived environment (Eckelmen, et al., 2018) and the changing climate is impacting the way in which we live. This includes increases in global temperatures, disruptions to food security and extreme weather events. Those working in health systems, including leaders, face challenges in providing healthcare that requires swift adaptation requiring a competent workforce foundationally.
The research question guiding this inquiry is: are health leaders educated and trained, do they have capacity and are they competent through self-assessment. A scoping review was conducted that systematically approached the current educational landscape on topics related to health and climate change. Criteria used for inclusion was primary studies that occurred in higher income countries that targeted health professional in climate and health related education from 2015. This review highlights that a gap exists on education and/or training that is specific to health leaders.
The second phase of this study builds on the scoping review through a survey targeted to self-identified health leaders in Canada and the UK. A quantitative approach was selected to address the research objectives. In total, 67 responses were completed through an electronic survey. The survey used purposive and snowball sampling techniques for distribution.
This research is rooted in a pragmatic approach and the data collected from the survey is presented in descriptive statistics and a comparative analysis was performed. The findings indicate that health leaders are generally competent, as self reported, in topics on climate change and health, however, generally lack capacity to increase their competency. The research highlights inconsistencies in competencies related to managing extreme weather events and how and where education is received. Practical implications are provided to help guide health organisations in prioritising and creating opportunities for leaders.