HOSPEEM-EPSU Project 2017-2018 on effective recruitment and retention policies

               

In 2017-2018 HOSPEEM and EPSU have been provided with financial support from the European Commission for a joint project in the field of recruitment and retention entitled: Promoting effective recruitment and retention policies for health workers in the EU by ensuring access to CPD and healthy and safe workplaces supportive of patient safety and quality care(01.02.2017-01-01-2019).

Objectives 

The project provided an appropriate framework to continue to focus on continuing professional development (CPD) as a first joint policy priority for HOSPEEM and EPSU. The work served to collect, discuss and evaluate social partner-based initiatives and policy measures on a range of aspects linked to the aim of facilitating access to CPD and guaranteeing quality services supportive of patient safety and provided by a workforce fit for practice. It will build on the HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Declaration on Continuing Professional Development and Life-Long Learning for All Health Workers in the EU.

The project was secondly geared towards the follow-up to results and recommendations of the HOSPEEM-EPSU joint project (2014-2016) in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH). The prevention, management and reduction of “musculoskeletal disorders” (MSD) and “psychosocial risks and stress at work” (PSRS@W) have been identified by HOSPEEM and EPSU members as two key priorities for their future joint work. In June 2016 they agreed on a “Summary Document” – available in EN, FR, DE, ES, RU and SV, setting out a number of follow-up activities to support policy implementation EPSU and HOSPEEM have agreed to consider in a next step. In May 2019, HOSPEEM and EPSU members agreed on the “summary document” of the project 2017-2019 “Promoting effective recruitment and retention policies for health workers in the EU by ensuring access to CPD and healthy and safe workplaces supportive of patient safety and quality care” (2017-2019).

PDF - 304.4 ko Download project detailed description

 Timeline:

Expected results

The project produced a report from each conference and a brief document summarising the main insight, conclusions and recommendations of the project. The information collected, the project results and recommendations will be fed back into the regular work of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the hospital/health care sector (SSDC HS) to be further discussed and assessed, in particular in view of their use to influence EU-level policy making. 

Implementation

Conference on Continuing Professional Development, 19-20 June 2017

This first conference took place on 19-20 June 2017 in Amsterdam (co-organised by NVZ and Dutch partners, supported by HOSPEEM).

Conference on Occupational Health and Safety (Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychosocial Risks and Stress at work), 23-24 May 2018

This second conference took place in Vilnius on 23-24 May 2018 (co-organised by LSADPS and supported by EPSU).

Dissemination

Social partners’ dissemination workshop on OSH and CPD, 3 December 2018

This dissemination workshop took place in Brussels on 3 December 2018 (organised by HOSPEEM and EPSU, hosted by MEP Jana Žitňanská, ECR, Slovakia and MEP Brando Benifei, S&D, Italy).

EPSU also has set up a page with the project-related information.

 
This project has received funding from the European Commission

EFSA/ECDC EU report on antimicrobial resistance

Bacteria found in humans, animals and food continue to show resistance to widely used antimicrobials, according to this report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Abstract:

The data on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and indicator bacteria in 2015, submitted by 28 EU Member States (MSs), were jointly analysed by EFSA and ECDC. Resistance in zoonotic Salmonella and Campylobacter from humans, animals and food, and resistance in indicator Escherichia coli as well as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in animals and food were addressed. ‘Microbiological’ resistance was assessed using epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) values; for some countries, qualitative data on human isolates were interpreted in a way which corresponds closely to the ECOFF-defined ‘microbiological’ resistance. In Salmonella from humans, high proportions of isolates were resistant to ampicillin, sulfonamides and tetracyclines, whereas resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was low. In Salmonella and Escherichia coli isolates from fattening pigs and calves under one year of age, resistance to ampicillin, tetracyclines and sulfonamides was frequently detected, whereas resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was uncommon. For the first time, presumptive extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-/AmpC-/carbapenemase-production in Salmonella and Escherichia coli was monitored in humans (Salmonella), meat (pork and beef), fattening pigs and calves. Varying occurrence/prevalence rates of ESBL-/AmpC-producers were observed between countries, and carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli were detected in single samples of pig meat and from fattening pigs from two MSs. Resistance to colistin was observed at low levels in Salmonella and Escherichia coli from fattening pigs and calves under one year of age and meat thereof. In Campylobacter from humans, high to extremely high proportions of isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and tetracyclines, particularly in C. coli. In a few countries, a third to half of C. coli in humans were resistant also to erythromycin, leaving few options for treatment of severe Campylobacter infections. High resistance to ciprofloxacin and tetracyclines was observed in Ccoli isolates from fattening pigs, whereas much lower levels were recorded for erythromycin. Co-resistance to critically important antimicrobials in both human and animal isolates was generally uncommon.

Read the scientific report (February 2017)