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EDITORIAL
During the statutory meetings in March, I was elected as Secretary General of HOSPEEM by the members of the General Assembly for a mandate period until December 2021. In my quality as ARAN representative, founder Member of HOSPEEM, I strongly believe in the key role of social dialogue in the health sector at the national and EU level. I am grateful for the support expressed by members and I look forward to actively representing members' interests. This spring brought another change to our organisation, and I am pleased to welcome Zorgnet-Icuro, the Flemish network of care organisation, as a full-fledged member of HOSPEEM.
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In this edition of the newsletter, you will find information about the recent HOSPEEM activities, news from our members across Europe, and relevant EU News, events, and publications for hospital employers. This newsletter has been conceived as interactive tools to facilitate the flow of communication, therefore you are invited to send us your contributions for future issues.
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Secretary General of HOSPEEM
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HOSPEEM NEWS
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The third Regional Workshop of the HOSPEEM–EPSU joint project will take place online on 20 April 2021. The workshop is organised by HSSMS-MT (EPSU affiliate, Croatia) and supported by EPSU.
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The geographical focus of this third workshop is on Central Europe, specifically targeted at Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided from and into English, Croatian, Czech and Slovenian. Registration is open until 15 April 2021.
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More than 70 participants attended the webinar on musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), jointly organised by HOSPEEM and EPSU on 25 February 2021. National sectoral social partners from the health sector across Europe exchanged good practices and discussed ideas to prevent MSD at the workplace. The webinar video and all presentations are now available online.
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On 16 February, HOSPEEM Secretary General Marta Branca delivered a speech at a high-level round table hosted by Commissioners Schmit, Breton and Kyriakides and organised in the framework of the recent EC Pact for Skills initiative. Ms Branca introduced HOSPEEM’s main activities and actions in the field of digital skills and stressed how the Pact can be a useful tool for sectoral social partners to upscale their initiatives.
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On 29 March, HOSPEEM Secretary General Marta Branca delivered a speech at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) public hearing highlighting that "it is essential for social partners to play an active role in discussing the Health Union's future" and "to fully profit from the European Health Union's undertaking and take care of those who take care of us, we have to generate dialogue between all stakeholders' levels."
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HOSPEEM-EPSU launched a survey on the implementation of EPSU-HOSPEEM Guidelines and Examples of Good Practice to address the challenges of an ageing workforce in the healthcare sector to gain insights into how the guidelines have been used and implemented. The deadline for national social partners to reply to the survey is open until 3 May 2021.
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HOSPEEM held its Steering Committee and General Assembly on 4 March 2021 via video conference. Sylvie Slangen, Zorgnet-Icuro, Belgium, was appointed as Steering Committee member and the General Assembly.
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The HOSPEEM members discussed updates from the HOSPEEM expert groups, the upcoming project on third-party violence, the public consultation of the EU Strategic Framework on OSH and the 2020 Eurofound Representativeness study.
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2020 has been an eventful year ensuring that the views of hospital and healthcare employers are being heard at the highest level. The HOSPEEM Activity Report 2020 was published and presents the main activities carried out during the year as well as relevant information on the structure and membership of HOSPEEM.
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In the joint response to the public consultation, HOSPEEM and SGI Europe stressed that the Framework needs to grasp opportunities and anticipate challenges for working life in constant development, for the common good of employees, employers, citizens, and the operations, for long-term sustainable workplaces and society. It is to consider the role of digitalisation: While it could enhance productivity and create safer work processes', its associated risks need to be assessed. Risks range from mental health due to adaptation to new working methods and increased work-related diseases due to a shift to sedentary work.
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HOSPEEM, EPSU, CEMR, CESI as co-applicants and ETF, ETNO, ETUCE, EUPAE, UITP as associated organisations have been provided with financial support from the European Commission for a joint project in the field of social dialogue: "The role of social partners in preventing third-party violence and harassment at work" in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
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HOSPEEM and EPSU underlined again that the Directive should aim to contribute to the quality and accessibility of patients’ care in February 2021. It was also stated that it is paramount to support Member States to strengthen their national health systems, address the existing challenges and identify opportunities to create resilient health systems to improve patients’ patients' cross-border healthcare access: This includes investment in health workforce and healthcare infrastructure comprising investment in working conditions to address health workforce shortages and medical deserts, access to continued professional development, coherent occupational safety and health prevention practices and guidelines.
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Simone Mohrs, HOSPEEM Policy Officer, has been appointed as Expert for the Employers Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), ensuring hospital and healthcare employers' voice are represented in the opinion on the European Beating Cancer Plan.
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Sara Fasoli took the position of HOSPEEM Project and Membership Relations Officer. While continuing working on the HOSPEEM file related to skills for the healthcare sector, she now also focuses on the relations with HOSPEEM Members and on new Members’ recruitment process.
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NEWS FROM MEMBERS
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"Zorgnet-Icuro became an observer member of HOSPEEM a year ago. This collaboration was all the more rewarding because Europe is becoming increasingly important for our role as employers in the Belgian healthcare sector. We are confident that in HOSPEEM, we have found the right partner to represent our interests as employers of healthcare in Europe. We are therefore pleased to continue our cooperation as a full-fledged member from now on."
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Margot Cloet, Director General of Zorgnet-Icuro, Belgium
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Under the motto 'We do good care together', the Dutch Hospital Association (NVZ) wants to ensure that the high quality of Dutch hospital care in the coming years. In its new strategy, the NVZ describes the challenges for the hospital landscape and its vision for the future. Healthcare providers must cooperate more to organise care regionally: as close to the patient as possible and at home. Hospitals should also ensure valuable care, improve the quality of care with ICT, data and AI while remaining an attractive and innovative workplace for the health workforce. Appropriate funding for healthcare must lead to a healthcare system with sufficient financial resources and aim to reward the right care in the right place.
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The UK has updated its code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care staff to align with the World Health Organization (WHO), widening the global market from which the UK can ethically recruit. To align with the WHO, the new code refers to the WHO Health Workforce Support and safeguard List of 47 countries where active recruitment cannot be undertaken. NHS Employers set out a good explainer here. On 21 April 2021, NHS, together with the UK Department of Health and Social Care, the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, will speak on Ethical international recruitment of skilled workers in the healthcare sector online seminar series hosted by the German institute EBB Bildung.
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The new standard complements existing health and safety legislation, employers (including NHS employers) have a general duty of care to protect staff from threats and violence at work. The standard delivers a risk-based framework that supports a safe and secure working environment for NHS staff, safeguarding them against abuse, aggression and violence.
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EU NEWS
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The aim of this EU-funded free of charge programme is to provide Intensive Care fundamentals required for the deployment of healthcare professionals that do not work regularly in intensive care units at the time of COVID-19
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The €5.1 billion EU4Health programme was established in March 2021 to contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery by strengthening the resilience of health systems and promoting innovation in the health sector. EU4Health will provide funding to EU countries, health organisations and NGOs.
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The focus of the Porto Social Summit is to give political impetus to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan, to which HOSPEEM provided feedback in November 2020. During the summit, European leaders will reinforce dialogue with social partners and HOSPEEM will be represented by SGI Europe.
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MEPs voted to extend the scope of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive with the inclusion of reprotoxic substances and inclusion of hazardous medicinal products. At the committee meeting on 13 April, MEPs will vote on the decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations.
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The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) manages European programmes on behalf of the European Commission (DG CNECT, DEFIS, GROW, RTD, SANTE) to help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe, which aims to be greener, more digital, more resilient and better fit for the current challenges.
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Since early 2020, HOSPEEM was active in the TN activities, invited as commentator and providing high-level speakers in the series of Webinars organised by the TN. The Joint Statement includes the NVZ/NFU case study on training programme CZO Flexlevel and the NHS case study on digital readiness.
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ATTENDED EVENTS
23/02/2021: Sara Fasoli was interviewed by the European Reference Group (ERG) of the DISH Project and she introduced HOSPEEM’s main initiatives and policy guidelines in the field of digital skills for the healthcare sector. Read the interview here
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FUTURE EVENTS
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- 25/05/2021: HOSPEEM Webinar on collective bargaining
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- 02/06/2021: SSDC HS Working Group 2 2021
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- 30/11/2021 SSDC HS Plenary 2021
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- 16/04/2021: European Social Partner Hearing on the Green paper on Ageing, organised by the European Commission
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- 21/04/2021: European Social Partner Hearing on the EU Strategic Framework on Occupational Safety and Health, organised by the European Commission
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- 15/06/2021: DG SANTE / EBN webinar on medical sharps and the Medical Device Directive
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PUBLICATIONS
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