10th anniversary of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector

HOSPEEM and EPSU celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector on the occasion of their plenary meeting organised in Brussels on 2 December 2016.

The Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector was set up in September 2006 at the joint request of the hospital sector social partners. The inaugural meeting of the Committee was held on 20 September 2006.

HOSPEEM and EPSU were honoured and delighted to host Mr. Xavier Prats Monné, Director General of DG SANTE, and Mr. Michel Servoz, Director General of DG EMPL, on the occasion of this celebration that was attended by more than 70 participants.

HOSPEEM and EPSU have established fruitful cooperation and close working relations with DG EMPL and DG SANTE over the years and appreciate their presence as an expression of interest and support for their work and activities.

This celebration provided the opportunity to stress the crucial role played by the hospital sector social partners and the importance of the hospital sector social dialogue.

This event also offered an excellent opportunity to highlight the major achievements of HOSPEEM and EPSU over the last decade as well as to exchange on future challenges and priorities.

Xavier Prats Monné underlined in his speech the positive changes taking place in the health sector, made possible thanks to the quality, skills and dedication of health professionals. Looking at the challenges for the next decade, he stated that none of them would be addressed without looking at the workforce and without a strengthened effort on recruitment and retention.

Michel Servoz stressed the good functioning and efficiency of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector. He also emphasized the crucial dimension of this sector for the quality of life and focused on three major challenges faced by this sector, i.e. skills, job creation and innovation, on which social partners have a major role to play.

The Secretary Generals of EPSU and HOSPEEM also respectively delivered a speech to celebrate 10 years of successful European social dialogue in the hospital sector.

Jan-Willem Goudriaan, EPSU General Secretary, underlined the importance of the principle of autonomy of social partners and put the emphasis on the need to further build up and strengthen the capacities of national employers’ and trade union organisations.

In his speech, Tjitte Alkema, HOSPEEM Secretary General, paid tribute to the commitment and active involvement of HOSPEEM and EPSU members in the hospital social dialogue, saying that it had been, and would always be, fundamental in achieving great results.

HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on CPD and LLL for all Health Workers in the EU

The EU hospital social partners HOSPEEM and EPSU adopted a HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Life-Long-Learning (LLL) for all health workers in the EU in November 2016, after several months of work and negotiations.

It is addressed to all workers in the hospital and healthcare sector in an equal manner, irrespective of age, profession and employment contract.

The agreement emphasizes the major role social partners have to play in the field of CPD and LLL, in partnership with competent authorities and other relevant stakeholders, and on the respective responsibilities of employers and workers. In the joint declaration, HOSPEEM and EPSU stress that CPD and LLL initiatives should be considered as a long-term investment in current and future qualifications and competences of the health workforce and not as a cost factor.

The joint declaration aims at providing inspiration, guidance and support to social partners in their actions in the field of CPD and LLL in the different Member States and at encouraging investments in this field. It is structured along a statement of key principles that should guide activities undertaken in the field of CPD and LLL. The principles are general and can be used at all levels by all stakeholders.

The HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration will be enriched in 2017 with a separate document gathering existing good practice examples. This document will be elaborated in the context of the joint HOSPEEM-EPSU EU-funded project (VS/2017/0017) “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”.

HOSPEEM and EPSU were invited to present their joint declaration on the occasion of the DG SANTE Expert Group “European Health Workforce” on 22 November 2016.

The joint declaration is now available in English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish.

PDF - 304.4 ko HOSPEEM-EPSU joint declaration on CPD and LLL in ENFRDESVES

HOSPEEM-EPSU report on the use and implementation of the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention

During the Plenary meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector (SSDC HS) held on 10 December 2015 HOSPEEM and EPSU adopted a joint follow-up report on the use and implementation of their Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention (FoA R&R)signed on 17 December 2010.

This report gathers good practice examples for each of the 5 key thematic areas covered by the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention, presents the main challenges faced by HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates with regard to recruitment and retention of health workers in their respective countries and focuses on social partner-based measures and activities. It also contains some conclusions and recommendations.

It has been elaborated in parallel to and in exchange with the researchers working on the DG SANTE Study “Recruitment and retention of the health workforce in Europe” published in July 2015.

Read here the HOSPEEM-EPSU Report on the use and implementation of the Framework of Actions on Recruitment and Retention : Dissemination of insights and good practices : Final version (EN)

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2014-2015

In this document you can find the highlights of the work of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector.

In 2014-2015 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

 Download the document:

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FR

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ES

IT

OSH Project on musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at work

               Project summary

HOSPEEM and EPSU have been provided financial support from the European Commission for a joint project entitled “Assessing health and safety risks in the hospital sector and the role of the social partners in addressing them: the case of musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at work”. This project aims to implement one main priority of the work programme 2014-2016 of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector, i.e. the promotion of occupational safety and health.

Through this project, the social partners aim to identify how preventive actions can contribute to improved workers’ health and safety, to more attractive retention conditions in the hospital sector and to improved efficiency in the management of healthcare institutions by reducing the negative effects linked to these occupational risks. They also looked at and discussed the instruments needed to achieve healthy and safe working conditions. HOSPEEM and EPSU achieved these objectives through the exchange of knowledge and the identification of existing good practice (…) Read detailed project description.

PDF - 304.4 ko Download project summary – EN – FRDEESRUSV

                                                                    Timeline:

  • 2 October 2014, Brussels: Meeting of HOSPEEM and EPSU Secretariats
  • 12 November 2014, Brussels: kick-off meeting of the Steering Group
  • 25 March 2015, Paris: Social partners’ conference on approaches to the issue of musculoskeletal disorders
  • 4 June 2015, Brussels: Mid-term assessment and organisational meeting of the Steering Group
  • 10 November 2015, Helsinki: Conference on psychosocial risks and stress at work
  • 3 March 2016, Brussels: Final meeting of the Steering Group

Conference on approaches to the issue of musculoskeletal disorders, 25 March 2015

This first conference took place on 25th March 2015 in Paris (co-organised by FEHAP and supported by HOSPEEM) with around 90 participants from 16 EU Member States. The aim of the conference was to provide social partner organisations with a common understanding of the phenomenon of musculoskeletal disorders in the hospital sector and a clear picture of the concrete preventive measures they could take (…)

 

Conference on approaches to the issue of psychosocial risks and stress at work, 10 November 2015

The second conference of the joint HOSPEEM – EPSU project on occupational health and safety risks focused on psycho-social risks and stress at work and took place in Helsinki on 10 November 2015 (co-organised by JHL, Superlitto and Tehy and supported by EPSU).

 

Material and Guidance

This section presents documents (guidance, handbooks, training material etc…) on musculoskeletal disorders and on psychosocial risks and stress at work (…). Please note that this is work in progress.

 
This project has received funding from the European Commission

HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Work Programme 2014-2016 for the European Sectoral Social Dialogue in the Hospital Sector

At the last meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector in 2014, HOSPEEM and EPSU reached a final agreement of the Joint Work-Programme 2014-2016. The two broad thematic priorities that will lead the joint work of HOSPEEM and EPSU in the three years to come are occupational health and safety, and recruitment and retention of healthcare workforce.

Each theme is developed into specific objectives with clear deliverables and timeline. The planned activities and projects laid down in this document are also guided by transversal priorities agreed by HOSPEEM and EPSU so far. The final version of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Work Programme 2014-2016 is now available.

Download the document – EN
Download the document – FR
Download the document – DE
Download the document – ES
Download the document – SV

 

 

Joint Statement of HOSPEEM and EPSU on the new EU Occupational Safety and Health Policy Framework

On 31 May 2013, the European Commission launched a public consultation further to results of the evaluation of the European Strategy on Safety and Health at Work 2007-2012. This was aimed at gathering contributions from the public for the new EU policy framework. Welcoming this initiative, HOSPEEM and EPSU responded to the consultation (see HOSPEEM response).

At the Plenary meeting of the sectoral social dialogue for the hospital sector held on 11 December 2013 HOSPEEM and EPSU approved a joint statement. With this document, HOSPEEM and EPSU aim to highlight common priorities and views for the new EU policy framework on occupational safety and health at work.

Download the Joint Statement

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2013

In this document you can find the highlights of the work of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector.

In 2013 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

Download the document

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector: Main activities and outcomes in 2012

In this document you can find the highlights of the work of the HOSPEEM-EPSU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector.

In 2012 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a range of topics, carried out project-related activities and agreed on several documents.

Download the document