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Activities, Project 2025-2027 on Tackling Staff Shortages and Ensuring Future-Proofing Skills in Health, Projects Hospeem

Call for Tender – Subcontracting external expertise

CALL FOR TENDER: Subcontracting for external expertise Reference Contract of the Commission DLV- 101197678

Date of publication on the HOSPEEM and EPSU website: 08 April 2025

Deadline for submissions: 07 May 2025

Download the Call for tender

Tender Specification

In order to ensure large visibility to this tender, HOSPEEM and EPSU will publish the tender on their websites. This tender will be publicly available for 30 days.

  1. Background:

The recognised European Sectoral Social Partners in the hospital and healthcare sector are EPSU (European Federation of Public Service Unions) and HOSPEEM (European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association). Given the demographic trends in the society, the healthcare sector is facing significant challenges, including an ageing workforce, intra-EU mobility and migration, and the impact of temporary work agencies. Additionally, there is a need for future-proofing skills and career pathways while exploring the potential of digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

The European hospital and healthcare sector is experiencing labour and skills shortages, which have been exacerbated by the demographic changes and COVID-19 pandemic. These shortages are impacting the quality and accessibility of healthcare services across Europe. In response to these challenges, EPSU and HOSPEEM have decided to carrying out a joint project – “Tackling Staff Shortages and Ensuring Future-Proofing Skills in Health”

The project is financially supported by the European Commission, Budget Line SOCPL-2024-SOC-DIALOG – Support for Social Dialogue. It will run for 24 months, starting in April 2025.

The aim of this project is to address the pressing issues of labour and skills shortages and in the European hospital sector. The method will involve a series of workshops which will gather European and national social partners and key stakeholders.

In order to support the project, EPSU and HOSPEEM are seeking the external expertise of (a) consultant(s)/consultancy. The contractor(s) will attend the workshops, gather information on the key challenges, actual or potential solutions, current involvement of the sectoral social partners in addressing the labour and skills shortages.

  1. Tasks to be performed by the contractor

Deliverables:

  • Summary of the second workshop: Attending at the second workshop with the topic of Work-life balance and mental health and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Summary of the third workshop: Attending at the third workshop with the topic of Temporary Work Agency  and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Summary of the fourth workshop: Attending at the fourth workshop with the topic of Digitalisation, future-proofing skills and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Summary of the first workshop, topic:  Attending at the first workshop with the topic of Ageing healthcare workforce, intra-EU mobility and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Summary of the fifth workshop: Attending at the fifth workshop with the topic of Practical solutions in collective bargaining and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Summary of the final conference: Attending at the final conference and summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English
  • Final report: Attending at the Summary of the main points of discussion and identification of key challenges and solutions. The report will be at least 20 page and in English
  • Final report summary: Attending at the Summary of the final report. The report will be at least 5 pages and in English.

The selected expert will:

  • Identify challenges social partners face regarding – as well as good practices addressing staff shortages in the hospital sector. This should include an analysis of factors such as the ageing workforce, intra-EU mobility and migration, the impact of temporary work agencies, and digitalisation.
  • Write effectively and clearly for the target audiences of trade union members and employers
  • Attend workshops and the final project conference.
  • Deliver the reports from the workshops and from the final conference.

In order to perform the tasks listed above, the subcontracted team will be asked to work in total of 25 days.  The consultant(s) will be supported by EPSU and HOSPEEM secretariats.

 

  1. Time schedule and reporting

The project duration is from April 2025 and has an expected duration of 48 months. The workshop reports should be prepared within one month after the workshop. A final project report is required by March 2027.

 

  1. Payments and standard contracts:

The contract will be drawn up between EPSU and the contractor. Payments will be made in three instalments.

The first payment of 25% will be paid upon signing the contract. The second payment of 35% will be paid after the project consortium submits the mid-term report to the commission. Final payment will be made upon completion and submission of the final project report to the Commission.

  • The travel and accommodation expenses for the contractor to attend the project meetings or meeting with the social partners will be covered by the overall travel and accommodation budget of the project.

The accommodation and transfers will be under economy class and according to the travelling chart made by the European Commission which can be found in the Grant Agreement.

Duration of the contract:

The consultant(s) will be engaged to perform the above-mentioned tasks starting in June 2025. The study should be completed by the end of the project (estimated as March 2027) when the results should be presented with the final report.

Expertise required

  • At least 3 years of experience in the field of labour market and industrial relations, with a focus on national and European social dialogue;
  • Knowledge of the European hospital and healthcare sector, with a specific focus on staff shortages,, and the challenges faced by the healthcare workforce and services.
  • Familiarity with issues such as the ageing workforce, intra-EU mobility and migration, skills, the impact of temporary work agencies, work-life balance, and the role of digitalisation in healthcare.
  • Good analytical, communication, and organisational skills to carry out the tasks as specified above. Previous experience or familiarity with the work of (European) Social Partners is preferable.
  • Significant knowledge of carrying out similar tasks in relevant EU projects;
  • Perform the tasks in English. All official deliverables/outcomes/communications produced by the expert shall be made in excellent written English.

Price

The total funding for this work is 30 000,00 EUR (all taxes and charges included).

Selection criteria:

The offers received to the call for tender will be examined by the HOSPEEM and EPSU Secretariats – which can decide to also consult with representatives of EPSU affiliates and HOSPEEM members, where appropriate – based on the following criteria:

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

  • Verifiable expertise, experience and skills, as required and described above;
  • Proven knowledge/evidence track record of research (supported by publications, academic articles, etc.)
  • Respect the budgetary contraints and timeline.

 

  1. Content presentation of the tender:

Tenders must be written in English. They must be signed by the tenderer or his duly authorised representative and be perfectly legible so that there can be no doubt as to words and figures. Tenders must be clear and concise.

They must make it clear under specific headings that they are able to meet the requirements of the specifications. All tenders must include at least two sections:

i) Technical proposal

The technical proposal must provide all the information needed for the purpose of awarding the contract, including:

  • Description of relevant professional experience with emphasis on the specific fields covered by the invitation to tender;
  • A detailed CV of the tenderer involved in the project activities;
  • Proof of Knowledge of the European hospital and healthcare sector
  • Proof of Knowledge of EU Health and Social Policies
  • Presentation of the methodology and approach that will be taken to the report
  • Previous experience and familiarity with the work of (European) Social Partners and European Social Dialogue Committees

English language proficiency/proficiency to deliver the project outcomes in proficient English.

ii) Financial proposal

Prices of the financial proposal must be quoted in euros, including if the sub-contractor is based in a country which is not in the euro-area. As far as the tenderers of those countries are concerned, they cannot change the amount of the bid because of the evolution of the exchange rate. The tenderers choose the exchange rate and assume all risks or opportunities relating to the rate fluctuation.

Prices shall be fixed and not subject to revision during the performance of the contract.

Award criteria:

Offers must be received within 30 days of the date of publication of this call for tender by EPSU (07 May April 2025). Offers must be sent to EPSU in electronic (by email to acociancich@epsu.org).

The contract will be awarded on the basis of the contractor that submits the bid demonstrating the best value for money, taking into account all the selection criteria. No award will be made if the bidders fail to achieve 70% in the evaluation of the bids against the selection criteria. The principles of transparency and equal treatment with a view to avoiding any conflict of interest will be respected.

FINANCE 4 EPSR, Project 2025-2027 on Tackling Staff Shortages and Ensuring Future-Proofing Skills in Health, Projects Hospeem

HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Project on Tackling Staff Shortages and Ensuring Future-Proofing Skills in Health

Start Date: 01 April 2025

Duration: 24 Months

Description of the project:

Tackling Staff Shortages and Ensuring Future-Proofing Skills in Health (TaSSEFSH) is a joint project between the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM), representing at European level national employers’ organisations in the hospital and healthcare sector.

The aim is to collect and exchange good practices from social partners across Europe that address the massive challenges posed by increasing staff shortages that most health providers face. They are finding it difficult to recruit new staff and to retain skilled and experienced workers. The demographic trends in most countries are driving increased demand at the same time as large cohort of health workers come up for retirement.  Understanding the different dynamics and consequences of labour shortages and future-proofing skills in the hospital and healthcare sector at play matters across Europe to deliver quality care, now and in the next decennia.  The evolving landscape of the healthcare sector requires support for skills, training and education.

Through a series of six meetings involving trade unions and employers from across Europe the project will explore the various factors behind labour and skills shortages and exchange good practices. An external consultant will be contracted to follow the project, report on all the meetings and draft a final briefing that will summarise the key debates and focus on the potential solutions.

The discussions and debates will cover:

  • Ageing of the healthcare workforce: In 11 countries of the European region, a significant demographic shift is imminent as at least 40% of doctors are aged over 55 and are expected to retire in the coming decade. The European Commission Ageing Report 2021 highlights Italy as having the highest participation rate among older population in 2019 with one of the highest percentages of health workers aged 50 and above at 42%, compared to the European average of 36%. The meeting will debate how to attract and retain experienced healthcare workforce while fostering the recruitment of young healthcare professionals. It will include case studies provided by EPSU and HOSPEEM member organisations.
  • Intra-EU mobility and migration: The free movement of labour stands as an achievement of the European Union, aligning with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights promoting labour mobility across borders. While some countries experience a negative impact from labour migration, others benefit from the enhanced workforce mobility and cross-border collaboration. Factors such as social benefits, level of pay, working conditions, skills development can play pivotal roles in shaping the healthcare workforce landscape. Additionally, language proficiency serves as a compelling incentive, as evidenced by countries like Ireland leveraging language requirements to attract healthcare professionals. Despite investing in training their health workforce, some countries, especially in Eastern and Central Europe experience staff shortages due to healthcare workers deciding to move to another country. EPSU and HOSPEEM agreed on guidelines for ethical cross-border recruitment in 2008 and this project will contribute to the renewal of the commitment of social partners to promote, guarantee and defend decent recruitment and working conditions for workers from and outside the EU. The workshop will explore what can be done to inspire workers to stay in their country of origin and to support migrant workers and intra- EU mobile workers in receiving countries.
  • Temporary work agencies: In order to deal with staff shortages EU policymakers need to consider the role of a diverse workforce, including private employment agencies that have placed 12.4 million people in labour markets in Europe (11.2 million participated through temporary agency work which had implications for the labour market). Many EU Member States find themselves compelled to use the services of temporary work agencies and thus often compensate for the staff shortages in hospitals. Although temporary work agencies can improve the situation with limited work capacity of healthcare professionals, some countries are experiencing a situation in which companies are exploiting the scarcity of healthcare profiles to establish profitable businesses. For instance, temporary staffing companies actively recruit nurses who are currently employed on permanent contracts, offering them additional benefits on top of their current salary, and allowing them to demand more regarding their schedules. This leads to unequal salary and working conditions between permanent and temporary staff in the workplace. The workshop will consider how the health care sector can become more resilient and make relations with the temporary work agencies more balanced again and what alternatives can be provided by the health sector.
  • Digitalisation: During the pandemic digitalisation helped reduce exposure to the virus and ease administrative burdens. The Social Partners underline that digitalisation will never replace human care delivery. Instead, it can lighten the workload, which can create more time for effective and quality care. The workshop will focus on how digitalisation and AI can softenstaff shortages and support health staff in doing their job while ensuring the protection of workers and patients.
  • Future-proofing skills and career pathways: Future-proofing skills and career pathways for the healthcare workforce is crucial in order to navigate in evolving landscape of the sector. The EU action plan on Labour and Skills shortages includes support for skills, training and education as one of the key policy areas to tackle staff shortages. Emphasising continuous learning and developing soft skills can improve patient-centred care and create a pool of well-trained and motivated healthcare workforce. The corresponding Joint Declaration on Continuous Professional Development and Life-long Learning signed by HOSPEEM and EPSU in 2016 acknowledges the connection between investments in LLL and CPD and improving the quality of training, which in turn improves the attractiveness of the sector.
  • Practical solutions in collective bargaining: Collective bargaining addresses the multifaceted challenges facing the healthcare workforce. Practical solutions can be identified and implemented to improve working conditions and enhance job satisfaction. The workshop will consider how social partners can design innovative solution to address staff shortages through collective agreements.
  • Work-life balance: The updated Framework of Action on Recruitment and Retention agreed between EPSU and HOSPEEM called for Member States to develop supporting infrastructures to facilitate work- life balance in a 24/7 service delivery context. It also said that to facilitate the full participation of men and women in the labour market, healthcare employers and social partners should take measures and develop policies that will improve workers’ work-life balance. The workshop will discuss the measures that social partners and governments have introduced to increase retention of personnel.
  • Mental health: The pandemic put more stress on health workers, with many of them reporting burnouts or considering leaving the sector. The sector is not resilient with a health workforce reporting stress overload. This workshop will exchange on good examples on mental health support for healthcare workforce and what impact it has on staff retention.
Activities, FINANCE 4 EPSR, Projects Hospeem

Join the Finance4EPSR project workshop, 17 January 2025 in Brussels

HOSPEEM, together with SGI Europe and HEAG, will organise the Finance4EPSR project workshop on 17 January 2025 in Brussels where the participants will discuss different aspects of sustainable finance. Online participation is possible.

The main meeting objectives are to deepen the knowledge about the practical impact of a social taxonomy into the business life of enterprises delivering services of general interest and to develop a methodology for guiding non-financial reporting to foster SGIs contributions towards the implementation of the EPSR.

Please register until 8 January 2025 here

News, Social Dialogue Hospeem

Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee in hospital and healthcare sector is the first to endorse the Updated Guidelines to prevent third-party violence

Together with employers from central governments, local and regional governments, education and horeca sectors, HOSPEEM concluded negotiations with respective trade union counterparts to update the European Multi-sectoral Social Partners Guidelines to prevent and tackle third-party violence and harrassment related to work. Amongst others, the update introduces a gender-perspective to the topic and reflects the further digitalization that has occurred since 2010.

While the Social Dialogue Committee in the hospital and healthcare sector became the first to approve the content of the updated guidelines in November 2024, the text will be signed once all involved sectors have approved too.

Harnessing Talent in Europe's Regions, News, Non classé, Projects Hospeem

Harnessing Talent Platform Working Groups in-person meeting

On 11 October 2024, the European Commission’s DG REGIO hosted partners of the Harnessing Talent Platform, a knowledge-building and experience-sharing initiative aimed at fostering dialogue among relevant stakeholders at the European, national, and regional levels. Since the establishment of four working groups in autumn 2023, focusing on Digital, Health, Research & Innovation, and Territorial issues, eleven issue papers have been published. These papers identify the scope of the challenges and propose actionable outputs.

This meeting brought together representatives from all working groups to discuss key issues, short- and long-term outcomes, and potential synergies within the platform and with other EU initiatives, such as the Pact for Skills, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, and the Rural Revitalisation Platform.

In his opening remarks, François Gallaga (DG REGIO) emphasised that the competitiveness of the European economy depends on its ability to address current and future skills gaps. Following parallel meetings of the working groups, participants identified cross-cutting issues, reflected on external synergies, and discussed the next steps to deliver outputs in line with the work plan.

HOSPEEM is part of the Health Working Group, which focuses on the subtopic of improving service models and working conditions.

Learn more

Harnessing Talent in Europe's Regions, News Hospeem

HOSPEEM participates in the panel discussion during European Week of Regions

On 10 October 2024, Olena Horlach represented HOSPEEM at a panel discussion organized by the European Committee of the Regions’ Interregional Group on Health and Well-being, the European CoR’s Commission for Natural Resources (NAT), and EUREGHA – the reference network for European Regional and Local Health Authorities on the topic of “Strengthening Europe’s Healthcare Workforce: Attracting and retaining talent in a regional context” as part of the European Week of Regions.

Staff shortages, working conditions, and skills mismatches are having a significant impact on access to care and performance of healthcare system. Attracting and retaining talent across Europe’s regions is a key strategy to address this issue. This interactive session explored the difficulties and potential solutions for strengthening Europe’s healthcare workforce and increasing the sector’s attractiveness, in line with existing EU initiatives such as the Harnessing Talent Platform and the Pact for Skills.

HOSPEEM acknowledged that the main challenges include ageing population, work migration and working conditions amongst others. The EPSU-HOSPEEM Updated Framework of Action on Recruitment and Retention examines various remedies to these issues, while considering the 24/7 operational nature of the healthcare sector. Meanwhile, the EPSU-HOSPEEM Code of Conduct on Ethical Recruitment and Retention enables social partners in the hospital and healthcare sector address inequalities and promote ethical recruitment practices at European, national, regional and local level.

10 October 2024, 1143: Strengthening Europe’s Healthcare Workforce: Attracting and retaining talent in a regional context
Belgium – Brussels – October 2024
© European Union / John Thys
News Hospeem

John Delamere speaks at online seminar of the cross-sectoral social partners on working time

HOSPEEM Vice-Secretary General John Delamere participated in a seminar of the cross-sectoral social partners on the topic “Shaping working time: role of collective bargaining” which explored the perspectives of social partners and addressed key priorities, including sector-specific needs related to working time, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with working time organisation. The goal of the meeting was to promote mutual learning on policy initiatives and practical actions taken by social partners in this area.

During the seminar, John Delamere emphasised the challenges of hospital and healthcare employers in relation to the Working Time Directive and the organisation of working time in Europe, given the healthcare sector’s continuous operational nature, which often cannot align with rigid working time limits. Alongside other representatives of public service employers, John Delamere highlighted the difficulties in offering working time reductions in sectors experiencing labour shortages and an ageing workforce. The continuity of care and the need for timely emergency responses require a re-evaluation of rest periods and shift patterns, while also considering workers’ well-being and avoiding staff overburdening.

News Hospeem

HOSPEEM Study Visit to SPEKTER

On 12-13 September 2024, a HOSPEEM delegation visited Oslo to engage in a valuable meeting with its Norwegian member organisation, SPEKTER. The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration and share knowledge on key healthcare workforce issues on national and European level.

The HOSPEEM delegation led by Secretary General Marta Branca and joined by Vice-Secretary General John Delamere and Secretariat members Leonie Martin and Olena Horlach, explored SPEKTER’s core activities. In particular, Tore Eugen Kvalheim gave general overview of SPEKTER organisational structure, Thomas Brown presented the Norwegian model for wage settlements, and Kim Hannisdal explained state of health in Norway.

As part of the visit programme, the delegation visited Sunaas Rehabilitation Hospital, a renowned institution for rehabilitation services, and AHUS – Akerhus University Hospital, one of Norway’s leading university hospitals. These visits highlighted the innovative practices and healthcare models that are shaping patient care and workforce management in the Norwegian healthcare sector.

Activities, FINANCE 4 EPSR, Projects Hospeem

Finance for the European Pillar of Social Rights (Finance4EPSR)

Project Description

Better non-financial reporting on social aspects has the potential to increase investments flows towards economic activities with positive social outcomes as recognised in the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) Action Plan. In this regard, there is a huge untapped potential of the providers of services of general interest, as there is an unbalanced assessment of the impact of the non-financial disclosure requirements on the SGIs and public services providers, especially at the local level, compared to the big enterprises from the private sector.

Through the ‘Finance for the European Pillar of Social Rights’ project financed by the European Commission, SGI Europe and the project partners HOSPEEM and HEAG will aim to develop a methodology for guiding the non-financial reporting about social objectives to foster SGIs contributions towards the implementation of the EPSR, as well as to deepen the knowledge on the practical impact of a Social Taxonomy into the business life of enterprises delivering services of general interest. The project will create a capacity building framework which aims to unlock SGIs potential to further contribute to the EPSR’s objectives using sustainable finance tools. The guiding methodology will help SGI providers identify their activities in line with sustainable finance requirements and empower them in the interactions with investors aiming for social investments in key sectors such as healthcare, transport and energy.

‘Finance for the European Pillar of Social Rights’ Background

The European Union is in a complex social and economic recovery context following the COVID-19 pandemic, heavily amplified by the increase in energy prices and high inflation. Services of general interest represent the backbone of the European social market economy, are key players in the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as in the green and digital transition and, since the beginning of the pandemic, have demonstrated their central role in the resilience of the EU social-economic system.

Many SGIs are indeed providers of services of general interest to local entities and, while operating increasingly in competition under market rules, have to maintain a wider social responsibility towards the citizens they serve. However, in most cases, SGIs lack the necessary knowledge and experience to attract sustainable finance. This is mainly caused by an unbalanced assessment of the impact of the non-financial disclosure requirements on the SGIs and public services providers, especially at the local level, compared to the big enterprises from the private sector. This adds to a general lack of awareness and guidelines dedicated to SGI providers, including tailored non-financial reporting mechanisms, operational capacity and technical expertise to implement European sustainability benchmarks, and dedicated labels for SGI and public services providers. This scenario causes SGIs’ inability to attract private and socially sustainable investments and an overall lack of social investments in critical sectors such as healthcare, housing, transport or energy.

This is why SGI Europe and the project Partners, HOSPEEM and HEAG, aim to develop a methodology for guiding the non-financial reporting about social objectives as a critical goal to foster SGIs’ contributions towards implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. In parallel, the project also aims to deepen the knowledge of the practical impact of a Social Taxonomy on the business life of enterprises delivering services of general interest. In this regard, the project focuses on a limited number of sectors essential for realising social rights, such as access to healthcare and housing, and improving the accessibility and availability of basic economic infrastructure and services such as clean electricity and water. Hospitals and the healthcare sector are critical infrastructure across the EU and have faced different challenges before the pandemic, stressing the need for regular and substantive investments. Consequently, testing the implementation of the Social Taxonomy is interesting for sectoral employers to understand and experiment with its implementation to ensure that (a) social taxonomy can be correctly applied to the benefit of all and (b) more potential investors can be identified.

Project Survey

News Hospeem

HOSPEEM Vice-Secretary General John Delamere speaks at the conference on the future EU Health Union

On 26-27 march 2024, HOSPEEM Vice-Secretary General John Delamere spoke at the high-level conference on the future EU health union organised by the Belgian Council presidency.

During the panel, he highlighted pressing challenges in the healthcare workforce, including ageing populations, labour and skills shortages. He also stressed the necessity of sharing best recruitment and retention practices. John Delamere noted that involvement of the social partners is highly important.

 

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