Global citizenship: an exploration of the relevance to UK health and social care professions

At a time when actual or potential global events are having, or are likely to have, significant impact on societies, it is timely to revisit ‘global citizenship’ and explore the relevance of the concept to health and social care. This paper explores its relevance to modern day health and social care professionals, why there needs to be a greater understanding of it and whether it can be incorporated into pre-qualifying education.

The relevance of global citizenship in society as a whole, and to health and social care specifically, has never been more important. The potential risks of ignoring global citizenship and the knowledge and skills needed to provide care in a global context are numerous. The inclusion of the concept in health and social care education is limited. This paper explores some of the ideas that global citizenship incorporates, why health and social care professionals need a greater understanding of it and what knowledge and skills need to be incorporated into pre-qualifying education, together with how best that might be achieved.