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Activities, News Hospeem

EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign

HOSPEEM is an official campaign partner  of the Managing stress and psychological risks at work – Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2014-2015 of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). The Europe-wide campaign aims to raise awareness of the problem and show employers and workers that stress and psychosocial risks can be successfully managed and prevented.

“Promoting occupational safety and health is a major priority for HOSPEEM, a priority that is even reflected in our 2014-2016 work programme. HOSPEEM is therefore strongly committed to making the Healthy Workplaces campaign a success. Together with the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), HOSPEEM is currently running a joint EU project aiming to assess the impact in the hospital sector of health and safety hazards, giving special attention to psychosocial risks and stress at work.

Being the second most frequently reported occupational hazard across the EU, psychosocial risks and stress at work negatively impact the health and well-being of workers and healthcare institutions. Ensuring safer and healthier working conditions is therefore a major challenge for the healthcare sector. For HOSPEEM, the Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress campaign is an opportunity to exchange information and knowledge and to identify existing good practice in this field.” says Tjitte Alkema, Secretary General of the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM).

How to get involved? There are a number of activities and events, find out more information on the Healthy Workplaces Campaign website. For you can watch the “Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress” video  or find useful tools and resources.

 

Activities, News, Projects Hospeem

Call for Tender to subcontract external expertise

Open call for tender for project: “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”.

Leading partner: HOSPEEM
Co-beneficiary: EPSU
Date of publication on the HOSPEEM website: 6 October 2014
Deadline to respond: 22 October 2014

Download the Call for Tender

TENDER SPECIFICATIONS FOR SUBCONTRACTING EXTERNAL EXPERTISE

Background

Healthcare is one of the most significant sectors in the EU economy employing directly around one in every ten workers in the EU. The healthcare and hospital sector is also one of the sectors with the greatest potential for job creation in Europe due to different factors, not least the increasing demand for healthcare services due to demographic change. According to data of Eurostat in 2010 there were around 17.1 million jobs in the healthcare sector which accounted for 8% of all jobs in the EU-27.

The sector, however, faces major challenges that are multi-faceted and complex and that stem from the combined effect of different factors.

HOSPEEM and EPSU are committed to contribute to tackle these challenges, in particular in view of the extent to which they affect the health workforce, by making active and effective use of the social dialogue at EU-level.

It is on this backdrop that one of the two main topics of their joint work programme 2014-2016 focuses on the improvement of health and safety at the workplace by giving special attention to two hazards relevant in the health care sector, namely “musculoskeletal disorders” and “psychosocial risks and stress at work”. The project should help EPSU and HOSPEEM members to facilitate their work on identifying how actions on occupational health and wellbeing contribute to improved health as well as to retention within the healthcare sector. The project is relevant for the EU-level social partners in the hospital sector as better health and safety conditions are expected to have a positive impact on the recruitment and retention of health workers and on the efficiency of the healthcare institutions.

Objectives of the project

The common aim is to identify how actions aimed at preventing and managing these two occupational hazards can contribute to improved health as well as more attractive retention conditions within the healthcare sector. This objective is linked to the one of the improved efficiency in the management of healthcare institutions and workplaces by reducing costs linked to loss of productivity, sick leave and occupational diseases.

The activities under the project should help EPSU and HOSPEEM and their affiliates to work towards common views as to the analysis of the risks in hospitals and other health institutions, their relative weight, their incidence with specific groups of health workers or health professions and in view of identifying relevant measures, good practice and guidance to address them. They will build on existing material elaborated by their members.

The project should facilitate the task of identifying, collecting and comparing the material with a view of allowing mutual learning across the countries by exchanging on successful organisational models of OSH management, on tested material and guidance and on concrete measures.

The action will be delivered by organising two main conferences, by the elaboration of reports from the two events, by setting up of dedicated webpages on the HOSPEEM and EPSU websites to disseminate project outcomes and relevant material to target groups, and by involving external stakeholders in the events, where appropriate. Orientation and guidance will be provided by a “steering group” composed by representatives of the EU-level social partners jointly carrying out the project.

Based on an improved understanding of the issues at stake and after identification of the action points for the most effective follow-up that HOSPEEM and EPSU can take in the context of the joint work-programme 2014-2016 and beyond, the project results will be fed back into the work of the sectoral social dialogue committee to be discussed and assessed there.

Purpose of the contract

 Support is being sought from an external expert to help to facilitate the project by providing background research, attending the two conferences that will be organised under the project, preparing reports from each of them (2 in total), gathering good practice examples from HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates.

Tasks to be performed by the contractor:

Supporting HOSPEEM and EPSU in selecting the speakers and drafting the agendas of the two conferences to be organised (one in Paris in March 2015 and one in Helsinki in November 2015, dates tbc)

  • Supporting the work of the Steering Group by attending its three meetings (November 2014, June 2015, March 2016, dates tbc)
  • Attending each conference and preparing reports from them (2 in total). The contractor will have to submit the two reports to the Steering Group for amendments and final approval.
  •  Gathering and providing to HOSPEEM and EPSU relevant literature on the subjects to support the work of the Steering Group and the organisation of the two conferences
  • Supporting HOSPEEM and EPSU to gather good practice examples from HOSPEEM members and EPSU affiliates
  • Coordinating with European organisations like EU-OSHA and Eurofound that are expected to play a role in the project

 Time scheduling

 The project is scheduled to begin in October 2014 and will last for two years.

  • Kick off meeting of the Steering group (12 November 2014)
  • Participation in the two conferences (March 2015 and November 2015, dates tbc)
  • Reporting: after each event
  • Second steering group meeting (June 2015, date tbc)
  • Final steering group meeting (March 2016, date tbc)

Price

 The budget available for external expertise is 14 500 Euros (VAT included)

  • Travel and accommodation costs will be covered separately

Selection criteria:

The offers received will be examined on the basis of the following criteria:

 Proven knowledge / Evidenced track record of research (supported by publications, academic articles etc.) on OSH and specifically on musculoskeletal disorders and psycho-social risks and stress at work

  • Experience of working with European/national social partners
  • Good knowledge of European Social Dialogue and of its outcomes
  • Proven ability to draft documents in English
  • Respect of the budgetary constraints
  • Particular expertise in the healthcare sector will be considered as an asset

Award criteria

The contract will be awarded to the tender offering the best value for money, taking into account the specific criteria set above. The principles of transparency and equal treatment with a view to avoiding any conflicts of interest will be respected.

Content and presentation of the bids

Tenders must include:

  • All information and documents necessary to enable the selection committee to appraise the bid on the basis of the selection and award criteria set above
  • A detailed CV of the staff members to be assigned to the project
  • Explanation of the proposed methodology for conducting the work

Offers must be submitted by the deadline of 22nd October both by post and email:

Elisa Benedetti
HOSPEEM
Rue des deux églises 26
1000 Brussels
Belgium
e-mail : e.benedetti@hospeem.eu

 

 

News Hospeem

Patient safety: new package published by the EC including a report on education and training of health professionals

A patient safety package was recently published by the European Commission highlighting how the Commission and EU countries are addressing the challenge of patient safety, progress made since 2012 and barriers to overcome as foreseen in a Council Recommendation of 2009. While significant progress was made in terms of shaping national programmes for patient safety and putting in place systems for patients to report adverse effects, patient safety is still seldom addressed in education and training of healthcare workers. The documents will feed into the reflection process on future EU-level action on patient safety and quality of care.

Of particular interest for HOSPEEM members are the report and recommendations on education and training of health professionals included in this package. The recommendations take into account the reported initiatives of education and training in patient safety, illustrated with examples and experience from 27 European countries, and complemented by a list factors necessary to their implementation. To read more about the patient safety package, click here.

News Hospeem

The Dutch solution to the legal transposition of medical sharps

The development of Health and Safety Catalogues [arbocatalogus] is relatively new in the Netherlands. Dutch legislators have decided to give employers and employees at sector level a significant degree of responsability for health and safety policy. Centralised policy rules and regulations give way to sector-specific customisation. For example The Health and Safety catalogue for the hospital sector has been developed for all members of the Dutch Hospital Association (HOSPEEM Member NVZ- Nederlandse Vereniging van Ziekenhuizen) and organisations covered by the collective agreement of the hospital sector in the Netherlands. This Health and Safety catalogue also covers the use of medical sharps.

In the Netherlands the Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbeidsomstandighedenwet) determines target requirements for safety and health at work and serves as a guideline. But the Health and Safety catalogue at sector level provides a description of the means and methods agreed upon by employers and employees to meet the target requirements of the Working Conditions Act. In the Health and Safety catalogue employers’ organisations and trade unions describe, on their own initiative, how they will meet the target requirements, including the use of medical sharps for the hospital sector. It is also possible to link a collective agreement with a Health and Safety catalogue and this emphasises the official nature of the Health and Safety catalogue.

To read more about the position of the Dutch Health and Safety catalogue in the Dutch Health and Safety legislation, download the summary.

To find out  what is a Health and Safety catalogue in the Netherlands, download the leaflet of the Dutch Labour Foundation (2007).

 

News Hospeem

A toolkit for Gender Equality in practice in the workplace across Europe

Equality between women and men is a fundamental principle on which the European Union has been built. Despite the progress made over the last decades, women’s employment rate is still below 60% in most EU countries, compared with almost 75% for men in 2012.

This toolkit is a one-stop online facility promoting a selection of a wide range of practices initiated at workplace level or by national social partners. The toolkit is linked to the four interconnected priorities of the Framework of Actions on gender equality signed by the EU cross-sectoral social partners in 2005:

  • Addressing gender roles
  • Promoting women in decision-making
  • Supporting work-life balance
  • Tackling the gender pay gap.

The toolkit catalogues a multitude of best practice initiatives, with a balanced perspective, in 25 different European countries, from all kinds of sectors, from large to micro enterprises, from all the different national social partners based on unilateral, bipartite and tripartite actions. Most of these have received local or national recognition for fostering gender equality. This online database was launched by BUSINESS EUROPE, CEEP, UEAPME and ETUC at a major conference in Madrid in May 2014.

Elvira Gentile, HOSPEEM Vice-Secretary General, ARAN, Italy:“The toolkit has a very concrete approach, because it collects 100 best practices from 25 European countries linked to the four above priorities and all stakeholders can consult the initiatives online, selecting those relevant to overcome their specific problems.”

Consult the toolkit here

 

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

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

 

 

News Hospeem

A new book sheds light on health professional mobility in a changing Europe

Published by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies this new book sheds light on health professional mobility in Europe. As health professional mobility is growing in importance, relevance and complexity, new insights and tools to understand it, measure it and manage it are needed. The aim of this 2nd volume is to provide just this by focusing on the changing dynamics, mobile individuals and diverse responses. The book’s 16 chapters are written to inform the ongoing policy processes and enrich debates between decision-makers and observers across countries, sectors and disciplines.

“Health professional mobility in a changing Europe. New dynamics, mobile individuals and diverse responses” PROMeTHEUS volume II – Edited by James Buchan, Matthias Wismar, Irene A. Glinos and Jeni Bremner, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2014

To download the book for free click here

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

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

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

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

Activities, News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Adoption of the implementation report of the multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle work-related third-party violence

At the the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector Plenary Meeting of 11 December 2013, HOSPEEM and EPSU members adopted the report on the use and implementation of the Multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work including recommendations. 

The joint evaluation and implementation report contains examples on how the multi-sectoral guidelines have been promoted and implemented by the member organisations of the signatory parties in the framework of projects and campaigns.

The report also contains recommendations for further steps and summarise the main challenges, whereof the main highlights are the following:

• A social partner agreement on preventing third-party violence could be a further step to a more stringent implementation of the guidelines if there is consensus between the social partners to start any negotiations.
• Further projects, conferences, and training for the social partners’ affiliates at local, regional and national level should be considered to implement the guidelines, with financial support of the European Commission.
• National projects could receive financial support from the European Social Fund.
• The implementation of the multi-sectoral guidelines should become an integral part of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Work programmes of the respective social dialogue committees who signed the guidelines. A follow-up report should be conducted by 2015 to evaluate progress on the implementation of the guidelines and identify the potential need for further action.

Download the report

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