Design HOPES was delighted to recently co-host What if We Got It Right? at the University of Strathclyde. The event, which brought together primary care leaders and stakeholders during Climate Week, is captured here on the Greener Practice website. Speakers included Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer; Dr Mareike Kroll, who joined virtually from the World Health Organisation Europe Office in Bonn; and Dr José Chen, Lancet Countdown Europe. Attendees heard about the challenges NHS Scotland faces to reach Net Zero and adapt to climate change, informed by the latest climate-health evidence from the 2026 Europe Cities Report of the Lancet Countdown.

Primary care will have a huge role to play, both in mitigating the climate impact of our services, and supporting patients to manage and prevent health effects of climate change. We know that those who are most vulnerable in society will be most affected by the climate crisis. – Dr Katie Hawkins, RCGP Scotland’s Climate and Sustainability Clinician Representative

We’re currently editing further documentation from the day, which captures some of the energy and ideas all participants brought to the sessions, using a range of design methods and approaches to really explore the opportunities and challenges facing healthcare in the context of the climate crisis, and ask how we might navigate these on our way to 2048.

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‘What if we got it right?’ was co-convened by the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland (RCGPScotland), Public Health Scotland, Design HOPES, Greener Practice and the Glasgow Changing Futures programme.