This prestigious recognition places the faculty at the forefront of a national movement to embed sustainability into clinical education and practice.
The accreditation celebrates FoDOCS’ pioneering integration of Education for Sustainable Healthcare (ESH) principles across its undergraduate curriculum. Through the innovative Sustainable Healthcare & Lifelong Learning (S.H.E.L.L) framework, students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to champion environmental stewardship, planetary health, and sustainable quality improvement throughout their clinical careers.
A Curriculum Rooted in Sustainability
Since 2020, FoDOCS has been steadily weaving sustainability into its teaching, culminating in a spiral curriculum that spans all years of study and includes dedicated SSCs and iBSc options. The S.H.E.L.L framework ensures that environmental awareness and healthcare transformation are not just taught—but lived and practised.
Student-Led Audits Driving Change
FoDOCS also plays a key role in the Planetary Health Report Card, an international student-led initiative that audits sustainability in health education. Since 2024, Year 4 students have conducted annual curriculum audits, contributing to global benchmarking efforts.
Growing Greener Spaces at Guy’s Campus
Sustainability at FoDOCS goes beyond the classroom. Earlier this year, the Faculty received 60 hedging shrubs—including crabapple, dogwood, hawthorn, and hazel—through the NHS Forests scheme, enriching the Guy’s community garden. These plantings aim to boost biodiversity and create restorative green spaces for patients, students, and staff.
In collaboration with Oli Austen, founder of the community garden and Sustainability Champion at the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, and King’s Estates & Facilities, FoDOCS continues to enhance the garden behind the Hodgkin Building, transforming it into a vibrant sanctuary for wellbeing and connection.
This milestone reflects King’s College London’s broader commitment to sustainability across education and campus life. FoDOCS is proud to lead by example—empowering the next generation of dental professionals to shape a healthier, more sustainable future.
The Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care at King’s was awarded Beacon Site Status in early 2023, the first in the UK Higher Education sector for nursing and midwifery. With the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Science joining Nursing, King’s is the only University in the UK to have achieved this across two faculties.
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