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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.

About, Activities, Study visits Hospeem

HOSPEEM Study Visit to Ireland in April 2014

Following the study visit to members’ organizations in the Baltic States, HOSPEEM visited its Irish member, the Irish Health Service – HSE on 17 April 2014.

During a meeting at the Irish Department of Health, the ongoing reform of the Irish health system was discussed. A deep reform of the system which is based on the 4 key interdependent pillars of health and wellbeing, service reform, structural reform and financial reform and that will change many aspects of the health service leading Ireland to a single-tier health service, supported by Universal Health Insurance (UHI) foreseen to be adopted in 2016.

At the HSE Corporate Employee Relations Services, Mr John Delamere, head of the Corporate Employee Relations (CERS) and representative of HSE within HOSPEEM, and the managers of CERS discussed with HOSPEEM their respective priorities. The focus was put in particular on the areas of common interest in the industrial relations and occupational health and safety fields, where CERS and HOSPEEM are closely working together and will further strengthen their cooperation.

The day was concluded by a visit to the Beaumont Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Ireland with 3,500 employees, 800 beds, with specialisation in neurosurgery, renal medicine and cancer care. HOSPEEM had the opportunity to meet the managing board of the hospital and to appreciate how, even when financial resources are limited innovative management measures and good cooperation with staff can help to maintain high standards of service delivered to patients.

HOSPEEM thanks John Delamere, Norah Mason and HSE CERS, as well as the Beaumont Hospital for the warm welcome and the fruitful exchange.

For more information:

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, Study visits Hospeem

HOSPEEM Study Visit to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in March 2014

In line with the priority of strengthening the cooperation within HOSPEEM membership, it is a pleasure to inform you that at the beginning of the spring a HOSPEEM study visit to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia gave a unique opportunity to visit members’ organizations and their associated organizations there. This was an occasion to meet with hospital managers, trade unions and government representatives, to hear about their priorities and challenges as well as having a fruitful exchange on EU topics.

Very impressive was to observe the level of innovation and research applied in the healthcare structures of the three countries, although at a different speeds resulting from available budgets. At the same time it was also particularly striking to hear how in an integrated Europe major threats to healthcare systems still exist. Referring here to Latvia, where political instability and major budget cuts due to the economic crisis since 2009 have very negative effects on hospitals, health workers and patients, endangering even basic access to healthcare services.

On top of this a major problem common to Baltic systems remains the brain-drain of high qualified and skilled health professionals which poses a serious challenge to the training performance and the sustainability of health systems. Ethical international workforce recruitment and retention is one of the issues identified as HOSPEEM’s priority since its foundation and this is one of the areas where our organisation can have a major positive impact. What we are doing in this field is of a primary importance for the sustainability of our health systems and we will be able to achieve only by keeping on working together

HOSPEEM thanks Jevgenjis Kaleis, Sigitas Griskonsis, Urmas Sule as well as their board and staff members for the warm welcome and the fruitful exchange which HOSPEEM will treasure for keeping on promoting and representing members’ interests at European level.

 

 

 

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

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