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 2020 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a wide range of topics in the framework of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Joint Work Programme and carried out project-related activities.
Brussels, 24/09/2020
Every year more than 12.7 million healthcare workers in Europe, including 7.3 million nurses, are potentially exposed to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic hazardous drugs. Studies show that hospital workers who handle cytotoxic drugs are three times more likely to develop malignancy and that nurses exposed to cytotoxic drugs are twice as likely to miscarry. The health hazard for handling these drugs is a significant concern as they are not only classified as potentially carcinogenic but also mutagenic (mutating genetic material) and reprotoxic (interfering with reproduction).
For HOSPEEM, it is particularly important to address handling techniques of hazardous medicinal products that are in line with national legislative specificities. While hospitals and healthcare employers are required to undertake risk assessments, it is clear that for example replacement of hazardous medicinal products is not an option for most cases, as patients still need these products for cancer and other treatments. Therefore, the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive need to clarify the terminology “technically possible” as stipulated in Article 5 (2, 3) “employers shall ensure that the carcinogen or mutagen is, in so far as is technically possible, manufactured and used in a closed system. Where a closed system is not technically possible, the employer shall ensure that the level of exposure of workers is reduced to as low a level as is technically possible.”
HOSPEEM and EPSU call the European Commission to include in its CMD4 report or accept parliamentary amendments for the revision of the CMD in 2020-2021 that include hazardous drugs, including cytotoxic drugs, as a category in Appendix I. Healthcare workers and patients deserve to be protected by legislation now through measures that are legally binding for all the actors in healthcare, with the best possible systems of work, technology as well as education and training to avoid the risk of toxic and genetic damage and associated diseases resulting from exposure to hazardous drugs.
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In this July 2020 edition, you will find the Joint Statement on the 10th anniversary of the Multi-sectoral guidelines to tackle third-party violence and harassment related to work as well as the latest COVID-19 related news. This newsletter includes also other relevant news, Member’s news, EU news, events and publications for hospital employers.
27 July 2020 HOSPEEM Newsletter 2020 – Issue 3
In this April 2020 edition, you will find the HOSPEEM statement on the COVID-19 outbreak and on the CEEP launch of the EU platform “SGIs facing COVID-19” as well as information on the latest HOSPEEM General Assembly, and HOSPEEM-EPSU Social Dialogue meeting and project.
This newsletter includes also other relevant news, EU news, events and publications for hospital employers.
This dedicated webpage presents documents (guidance, handbooks, training material, good practice etc…) collected by national social partners on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Life-Long-Learning (LLL). Please note that this is work in progress and only an indicative list which does not necessarily reflect the latest documentation available.
Nb: HOSPEEM and EPSU would like to thank all the national social partners that contribute to this webpage by submitting materials – in particular the organisations indicated in brackets below.
I) NATIONAL SOCIAL PARTNERS, EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
General
CPD Programme at the Trauma Team- Töölö Hospital – Helsinki University Hospital – Finland (TEHY) – in EN
Lappeenranta seminar on the development of working life in the municipal and public sectors – Finland (KT) – in FIA systematic approach to and long-term monitoring of the transformation of work in the local government sector – Finland (KT) – in FI 
Introducing the contribution of patients in the training process – France (FEHAP) – in EN
Patients as teachers – a deep dive into professional education – France (FEHAP) – in EN, in FR National CPD Strategy – Germany (VKA) – in DEResearch program RN2BLEND on the differentiated deployment of nurses in hospitals – Netherlands (NVZ and NFU) – in EN, NLProgram CZO flex level – Improvement of the training offer for specialized nurses and medical support staff– Netherlands (NVZ and NFU) – in NLProgram ZMT! – Healthcare Professionals Make the Future!, Netherlands (NVZ) – in NL A nurse is a nurse is a nurse? Skills level differentiation – Netherlands (Radboud University Medical Center and NVZ) – in ENCPD for support staff: a new career opportunity in nursing – United Kingdom (UNISON and Health Education England) – in ENImplementing a just and learning culture – United Kingdom (NHS Employers) – in EN
Lifelong LearningVård och omsorgscollege – An example of social partners’ cooperation at local and regional level, i.e. skills validation – Sweden (National Council
Sweden, KOMMUNAL) – in SELearning in partnership – United Kingdom (NHS) – in EN Learning Agreement/Union Learning Reps – United Kingdom (NHS) – in EN
Effective CPDDefinition of CPD priorities and negotiations of professional branches on CPD activities/programmes in the French hospital sector – France (CFDT) – in ENCompetence development of an ageing workforce in German hospitals – Germany (AT, Gelsenkirchen) – in EN How to cooperate between trade unions, employers and education providers in setting up effective CPD in Sweden? – Sweden (Kommunal, Sweden and Health and care services college) – in ENWorking and learning in the service – Managing continuing professional development – United Kingdom (CenMEDIC) – in EN
Inter-professional cooperation and skills developmentThe BRIDGE model – A competency development programme designed to enhance interprofessional collaboration, shared knowledge and patient and citizen involvement across sectors – Denmark (Center for human resources, Capital Region of Denmark) – in EN How does CPD support multi-professional team-based care? – Finland (Helsinki University, Central Hospital HUCH, Helsinki Burn Centre) – in EN
Funding of CPD Roles and activities of a paritarian organisation to promote and support CPD for care workers – Belgium (Competentia) – in EN 
APEF- Association Paritaire pour l’Emploi et la Formation – Belgium (Competentia) – in FR From unskilled to skilled (3F, FOA and The Danish Regions (Wage and Tariff Board of the Regions) – Denmark (Danish Regions) – in DKThe Competence Fund – Denmark (Danish Regions) – in DK
Development and research fund in the regions – Denmark (Danish Regions) – in DK Heidelberg Hospital: Acadamy of Health Professions – Germany (Ver.di) – in EN How is, or should, CPD be financed? An example from the Netherlands – Netherlands (NVZ) – in EN
Innovative workplace learning Crew Resource Management: a Dutch example of building health care teams focusing on effective communication and leadership – The Netherlands (NVZ, Gelre Hospital) – in EN Good practice: Short video instructions at the moment of need, Jaco van der Worp – The Netherlands (NVZ, Groene Hart Hospital, Gouda) – in EN Learn to escape! – The Netherlands (NVZ, Spaarne guesthouse) – in EN The ‘Roadmap’: A Dutch example of organising support for Continuous Professional Development that fits within the ambitions of the organisation and its employees – The Netherlands (NVZ, North West Hospital Group, Alkmaar) – in EN
CPD for new models of care and new professional roles Program JumP – Right care in the right place – Netherlands (NVZ) – in NL No place like home – Gupta Strategists report – Netherlands (NVZ) – in EN
CPD related to the digitalisation of health care
Program VIPP – Digital access to your own medical data – Netherlands (NVZ) – in NL Building a digital ready workforce – United Kingdom (NHS, HEE) – in ENInformatics Workforce Report – United Kingdom (NHS, HEE) – in EN
NHS Digital Academy – United Kingdom (NHS, HEE) – in ENBecoming Digital Competent Project – developing healthcare professionals competencies in digital solutions – Denmark (Danish Regions as well as several public partners, municipalities and educational institutions) – in EN, in DK
Increasing digital training capacity, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (NHS) – in EN 
A guide to good practice for digital and data-driven health technologies – Department of Health & Social Care (NHS) – in EN
II) EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS, AGENCIES OR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
European InstitutionsDirective on Recognition of Qualifications (2005/36/EC) modernised with Directive 2013/55/EU (20 November 2013) Skills audits – Tools to identify talent : final report – Study – (EC), 2019
New Skills Agenda for Europe [COM(2016) 381 final] – (EC)EC Handbook on classification of European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO), 2018Matching skills and labour market needs in the changing world of work – strategic approach on continuous lifelong learning – (Council of the EU), 2019 European Skills Index (CEDEFOP), 2018
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Skills Outlook 2019 – Thriving in a Digital World
International Labour Office (ILO)Lifelong learning: Concepts, issues and actions concept paper, 2019The involvement of employer organisations in the governance of skills systems: a literature review, 2019
World Health Organization (WHO)
The toolkit for a sustainable health workforce in the WHO European Region, 2018
The European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association’s thoughts are with the millions of health professional and health workers across Europe and others globally that, under these exceptional circumstances daily provide services to take care of patients at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, while national governments are taking different levels of confinement and containment measures.
Like in no other sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has a tremendous impact on the provision of health services and care, experienced in hospitals and healthcare facilities around the globe, and particularly in Europe. This is adding to the already existing strains of the healthcare system such as recruitment and retention, the ageing and health and safety at the workplace.
Employers in the health sector are facing exceptional challenges that can only be tackled by joint initiatives from social partners, Member States’ governments, and the European institutions. Furthermore, the sector welcomes the potential opportunities and lessons learned as a result of the global pandemic.
Among others, HOSPEEM welcomes the statement of the Members of the European Council2, which “commend[s] the dedication and tireless efforts of the healthcare professionals” and ”the adoption of the decision on the authorisation for export of personal protective equipment” as well as “to increase testing capacities”.
We are standing with our European cross-sectoral social partners’ organisation CEEP, which, together with fellow European sectoral social partner organisations, set up the “SGIs facing COVID-19” Platform3 to help facilitate and share practices between European and national social partners in the public services sector.
Following the measures taken by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the Members of the European Council, HOSPEEM stresses the importance of:
Looking ahead HOSPEEM would like to echo the statement made by the European Council that we must “reflect on the resilience of our societies”, among others the resilience of services of general interest. In times like these, it becomes evident that investments in healthcare need to be further strengthened to withstand similar potential public health emergencies. HOSPEEM is concerned with the structural long-term effect on the healthcare system and its labour market.
At the moment Member States’ economies are under enormous pressure to perform. Already now, many countries are preparing for financial restructuring to recover from the economic losses caused by the virus and to adjust national budgets towards the different sectors. Even if the current measures as foreseen by the European institutions such as investing in European Member States’ healthcare system are well intended, it is of vital importance that these investments remain in the long-term to indeed sustain a resilient healthcare system and society as a whole, considering to include health prevention activities within the objectives of these investments.
In December 2019, the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital Sector (SSDC-HS), HOSPEEM and EPSU reached a final agreement of the Joint Work-Programme 2020-2022.
In November 2021 at the plenary meeting of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee, HOSPEEM and EPSU extended the Work Programme until 2023.
It is structured around four major thematic priorities, i.e Occupational Safety and health, recruitment and retention of the health workforce, Continuing Professional Development and Life-Long Learning, European/ EU-level healthcare policy. Each sub-theme is presented with specific objectives, deliverables and a timeline.
Download the Joint Work Programme 2020-2022- EN
Download the Joint Work Programme 2020-2022 – streamlined version – EN
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 2019 the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for the Hospital and Healthcare Sector dealt with a wide range of topics in the framework of the EPSU-HOSPEEM Joint Work Programme and carried out project-related activities.
Alice Casagrande (FR), a HOSPEEM Expert on CPD and LLL, spoke at the European Patients’ Forum Congress in Brussels on 13 November 2019 during the plenary session “Patients as teachers – a deep dive into professional education” as the FEHAP representative. Alice Casagrande is the Director of the LLL, innovation and voluntary work at the Fédération des Etablissements Hospitaliers et d’Aide à la Personne, Privés Non Lucratifs-FEHAP, the HOSPEEM member in France.
Ms Casagrande talked about the involvement of her organisation (an employer’s federation representing non-profit organisations) in a project called ‘Partners in Knowledge’. This promotes a commitment to involve patients and social service users in professional education. Inspired by the Vancouver statement on professional education (2015) and the interprofessional health mentor programme of the University of British Columbia in Canada, Ms Casagrande underlined that we should not just be looking at medical students; other healthcare professionals – e.g. nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, dentists…- are also part of the overall health provision picture. This is based on the notion of interprofessional education, which entails that students should learn around or with the help of a patient, a disabled person or a carer. Involving the broader spectrum of healthcare providers will improve communication with one another in relation to person-centered care.
The project has been ongoing since 2015, with a small group of committed representatives from relevant stakeholders. Information on experimental programmes in health care and social services involving patients and social services users were collected. The Swedish ‘gap-mending model‘, where training involves those people in the services that are intended for them was one of these; this programme has found that such learning substantially reduces the distance between health and social care providers and the people concerned.
The work has led to the formulation of the ‘Partners in Knowledge’ statement, addressing the involvement of patients and social services users in continuous education, which has already been signed by the French health minister as well as by major students’ unions.
Watch the EPF congress video of the intervention (EN)
Visit the FEHAP “Partners in Knowledge” webpage (FR: “Associons nos Savoirs”) and its resources section (FR) for more information
Photo credits:
2019 © European Patients Forum
2019 © Photo StudioVercammen
On 11 November 2019, a group of Swedish colleagues from SALAR visited the SALAR’s Brussels office. Participants of the study visit all work with different matters within the health care sector. SALAR is now working with the regions to describe good learning environments and models of training for the employees and the students at the workplace.
The HOSPEEM staff gave an overview of its latest activities and achievements, highlighting the themes of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Lifelong Learning, for example the HOSPEEM-EPSU Joint Declaration on Continuing Professional Development adopted in 2016. The group also met with Members of the European Parliament.
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