HOSPEEM-EPSU Social Dialogue Conference, March 2006
Promoting realistic active ageing policies in the hospital sector
Introduction
This study charts the age profile of the hospital sector workforce in Europe and identifies and analyses initiatives within the hospital sector that have addressed the issue of an ageing workforce. The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM) commissioned the study, which received support from the European Commission under budget line 04.03.03.01.
The development of European level social dialogue in the hospital sector started with a conference in May 2000. A second conference took place in 2002, which underlined the importance of developing dialogue in the light of enlargement. The conference also highlighted two key issues for the sectoral social dialogue, issues around free movement of workers and skill shortages faced by hospitals in numerous Western European countries. While these issues remain, active ageing is increasingly topical and its profile continues to increase mainly because of the demographic changes, the poor position of older workers in the labour market and recent developments taken by governments to increase retirement ages.
The HOSPEEM/EPSU conference on 16-17 March 2006 was the fourth pan-European meeting with the core aim of formalising the social dialogue in the hospital sector in the EU. The initial findings of this study were presented at the conference. This final report presents the research findings and takes into consideration comments and views from conference participants. More specifically this report provides an overview of the age profile of the hospital sector workforce in the EU (EU-25), as well as outline differences between the ’Old’ (EU-15) and ’New’ (EU-10) Member States in more detail.
In addition to an overview of the hospital sector, a series of case studies of regional and local initiatives that aim to address the challenges of demographic change and promote realistic active ageing measures among the hospital sector workforce are presented. National initiatives supported both by employers and unions have also been included.
Finally, this report also assesses ways in which sectoral social dialogue at the European level can help to address the issue of an ageing workforce.
FULL REPORTS: 
EN – Ageing Policies | FR – Ageing Policies
Identifying successful training initiatives in the hospital sector
Aims and objectives of the study
The key aim of this report is to analyse how the social partners in the hospital sector have addressed the issue of meeting new skill needs and the adaptation of existing job profiles to deal with the new challenges and requirements facing the sector in Europe. This study informed a key debate during the conference “Formalising the European sectoral Social Dialogue in the Hospital Sector” in 2006 and is intended to inform the ongoing dialogue between EPSU and HOSPEEM.
The report provides a short overview of categories of health professionals and workers. It also discusses skill needs and workforce challenges in the hospital sector. It then analyses the key trends in the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of these professions as well as the role of professional qualifications in the ability to undertake new roles. This analysis also examines the potential or existing difficulties in introducing new definitions of roles and new skills. The report will then provide examples of national initiatives to introduce new skills to health professional and workers and identify a route map on how the above mentioned issues could be addressed by the social partners in the framework of sectoral social dialogue. The report will summarise the main findings in the conclusions.
It is not the aim of this study to elaborate all existing job profiles among hospital sector staff and the training requirements for each role in different EU Member States. The emphasis of this study is on the key challenges facing the European hospital sector relating to technological, economic, social and demographic change and the way in which this is affecting skill requirements and job profiles. It provides examples of how training and job profiles have been adapted in different countries to meet these requirements in order to act as an inspiration for the social dialogue process.
FULL REPORTS: EN – Skills | FR – Skills
Cross-border recruitment of hospital professionals
Overview of the study
This study charts the migration profile of the hospital sector workforce in Europe and identifies and analyses initiatives within the hospital sector that have addressed the issues arising from a mobile workforce. The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM) commissioned the study to inform the development of a social dialogue in the hospital sector, which received support from the European Commission under budget line 04.03.03.01.
The development of European level social dialogue in the hospital sector started with a conference in May 2000. A second conference took place in 2002, which underlined the importance of developing dialogue in the light of enlargement. The conference also highlighted three key issues for the sectoral social dialogue; issues around free movement of workers, skills shortages faced by hospitals in numerous Western European countries, and the problems presented by an ever increasing workforce.
The HOSPEEM / EPSU conference on 16-17 March 2006 was the fourth pan-European meeting with the core aim of formalising the social dialogue in the hospital sector in the EU. The initial findings of this study were presented at the conference. This final report presents the research findings and takes into consideration comments and views from conference participants. More specifically this report attempts to provide an overview of migration patterns amongst the hospital sector workforce in the EU (EU-25) and to assess ways in which sectoral social dialogue at the European level can help to address the issues presented by migration and mobility among the hospital workforce.
FULL REPORTS: EN – Mobility | FR – Mobility
For information please contact:
EPSU: Tamara Goosens or Brian Synnott, + 32 2 2501080, email: epsu@epsu.org
HOSPEEM: Valeria Ronzitti + 32 2 2292157, email: hospeem@hospeem.eu
EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC. 8 million public service workers and their 213 trade unions are members. They organise workers in health and social services, local and national administration, energy, water, waste. In the health and social services sector EPSU organises 3.5 million members
HOSPEEM is the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers Association. It regroups at European level national employers’ associations operating in the hospital and health care sector and delivering services of general interest, in order to co-ordinate their views and actions with regard to a sector and a market in constant evolution. HOSPEEM is an individual member of CEEP.
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