#EUHPP LIVE WEBINAR Health workforce challenges: ways forward for policy making

26 JANUARY 2024

The Health Workforce Projects Cluster of the EU Health Policy Platform is organising a Europe-wide conference to discuss relevant policy recommendations, developed on the basis of the results achieved within the cluster, and to launch a call to translate them into action.

This is an EU wide event aiming to highlight health workforce challenges in Europe and provide practical inputs for policy making. It will take place online on 26 January from 10.00 to 12.00 CET, Brussels time.

Register here!

Barriers and facilitators towards the digital inclusion of all citizens

Webinar 30 January 2024 14:00 - 15:15 CET

As the world rapidly goes through a process of digitalisation, health systems are being transformed. The European Health Data Space aims to empower patients to be in control of their own digital health records; telemedicine services are becoming more widely available; artificial intelligence is revolutionising clinical decision support systems; infodemics spread faster than ever, leading to mistrust in health authorities. Are all European citizens prepared to advocate for their health in this digital transformation?

Ensuring that nobody is left behind requires addressing the digital determinants of health, which include: digital skills, digital health literacy, access to digital devices and facilitated engagement with digital platforms and tools. This webinar aims to give voice to underrepresented communities that may encounter specific barriers in the digital transformation of health systems. We will talk about the difficulties that these communities face, but also their strengths and the opportunities for ensuring their digital inclusion.

Register here

European Community Based Mental Health Service Providers Network. A webinar by EUCOMS Network and Society of Social Psychiatry P. Sakellaropoulos

Implementation of the Community Mental Healthcare in Greece. A Spotlight on Society of Social Psychiatry P. Sakellaropoulos

31st January at 19:00 CET

What to expect:

The community-based mental health services of the Society of Social Psychiatry P. Sakellaropoulos across four regions in Greece presents its working with the community towards enhanced resiliency in a period of environmental crisis Including the role of the Mobile Mental Health Units.

Belgian Presidency priorities include looking at health preparedness, care and protection

Under the Belgian Presidency of the EU, which began on 1 January 2024, health will revolve around three overarching themes: preparedness, care, and protection. The Presidency will emphasise the importance of strengthening the EU's resilience to future health threats by reinforcing crisis management, supporting healthcare systems, and improving the security of medicines supply. See the link for more information on the Belgian Presidency priorities and programme.

This very much relates to the just started RAPIDE project in which the EFPC is a consortium partner.With a meeting planned in the Antwerp ZOO on the 14^th and 15^th of May with the title: “Europe united against old and new pandemics (cluster1), aka Conference on Preparedness.”

UHC2023: Universal Health Coverage Starts with Primary Care

WONCA news; Feature Stories December 2023Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, observed annually on December 12th, serves as a global reminder of the importance of accessible and affordable healthcare for everyone, everywhere. In 2023, the theme revolves around the ongoing efforts to advance Universal Health Coverage, emphasizing the need for collaborative action to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to health services.

As the world faces unprecedented health challenges, including pandemics and emerging diseases, the importance of UHC becomes even more evident. The COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, underscored the vulnerabilities in healthcare systems worldwide. UHC Day 2023 elaborated

• Investing in universal health coverage

• Strengthening health systems

• Expanding primary health care

• Working across sectors and communities

• Promoting innovation to reach everyone.

WHO, IOM and EU joint project for better access to health care for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine

6 December 2023, Brussels, Belgium

On 6 December, WHO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) kicked-off a joint 2-year project aiming to improve access to health-care services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine. Since the war began, millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. More than 5.9 million people from Ukraine are displaced across Europe as of November 2023. To help countries to manage the situation, WHO, IOM and EU are working with national health authorities on a the new project to support and strengthen their health systems.

More info on the kick-off event

More info on the project

Fleeing Ukraine: healthcare (europa.eu)

Ukraine IOM response 2022-2023 

Shaping the Future of Public Health Sustainable Investments

FREE LIVE WEBINAR

January 23, 2024 | 09:00 – 10:30 PM (CET) Participation is FREE, but registration is mandatory. Save Your Spot. Register Here.

This second installment of the Health System Sustainability webinar series will focus on exemplary instances of high-return investments in health. This webinar aims to delve into the underlying reasons for championing sustained, long-term commitments in immunization and health systems.

Esteemed global experts will showcase tangible examples of efficient and effective health investments, highlighting the transformative potential of gene therapy, analyzing the return on investment for HPV immunization in low and middle-income countries, and revealing insights into Costa Rica's immunization model and the PAHO revolving fund.

This webinar is part of the Immunization Taskforce activities led by the WFPHA. Please follow this link for information.

EUCOMS seminar, “Municipal Responsibility for Community Mental Health”

14-15 March 2024

Cologne (Germany)

Save the date: 8th WHO conference on prison health

18-19 April 2024

Amsterdam (Netherlands)

12th IPCRG World Conference

9 to 11 May 2024

Athens (Greece)

98th EGPRN meeting 9-12 May 2024 Porto (Portugal) Abstract Submission Deadline: January 14th!

#BAPH2024 Symposium

14 June 2024

Brussels (Belgium)

Call for abstracts for Belgian public health researchers, experts and practitioners before Friday February 16, 2024.         

10^th IRDES Workshop on Applied Health Economics and Policy Evaluation 

20-21 June 2024

Paris (France)

Deadline for paper submission: February 5^th 2024

EFPC 2024 Conference Ljubljana

15-17 September 2024

Ljubljana (Slovenia)

WONCA Europe Conference 2024

25-28 September 2024

Dublin (Ireland)

17^th EPH Conference

12-15 November 2024

Lisbon (Portugal) 

Abstract submission for the 17th EPH Conference is open from 1 February until 1 May 2024

Are remote health clinics primary health care focused? Validation of the Primary Health Care Engagement (PHCE) Scale for the Australian remote primary health care setting

McCullough K, Doleman G, Dunham M, Whitehead L, Porock D. Are remote health clinics primary health care focused? Validation of the Primary Health Care Engagement (PHCE) Scale for the Australian remote primary health care setting. Primary Health Care Research & Development. 2024;25:e3. doi:10.1017/S1463423623000592

HC principles include quality improvement, community participation and orientation of health care, patient-centred continuity of care, accessibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Measuring the alignment of services with the principles of PHC provides a method of evaluating the quality of care in community settings.

A two-stage design of initial content and face validity evaluation by a panel of experts and then pilot-testing the instrument via survey methods was conducted. Twelve experts from clinical, education, management and research roles within the remote health setting evaluated each item in the original instrument. Panel members evaluated the representativeness and clarity of each item for face and content validity. Qualitative responses were also collected and included suggestions for changes to item wording. The modified tool was pilot-tested with 47 remote area nurses. Internal consistency reliability of the Australian Primary Health Care Engagement scale was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Construct validity of the Australian scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis.

Analyzing and overcoming access barriers to strengthen primary healthcare

Pan American Health Organization, 12 December 2023

In the Americas, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact and also exposed the damaging effects on vulnerable groups caused by lack of access to health services. Consequently, PAHO is supporting countries’ efforts to transform health systems to reinvigorate primary health care with a focus on increasing access and achieving universal health. In this context, this report presents the results of collaboration between PAHO and its Member States to define and analyze access barriers for the purpose of proposing a set of policies to reduce and progressively eliminate them.

What could the EU do to build resilient health systems and resilient, healthy societies?

Scott L.Greer, Julia Zimmermann, Anna Sagan, Katherine Cooney and Josep Figueras; Eurohealth, Vol.29, No.3, 2023

Quote:

Strengthen capacity of frontline services and transforming health service delivery.

Many expert reviews suggested actions to support or transform frontline health services. However, there was some heterogeneity in which service to choose to support. There was a broad consensus on the need to strengthen delivery of essential healthcare services, especially public health and primary healthcare services.

The role of Primary Health Care, primary care and hospitals in advancing Universal Health Coverage

Luke N Allen et al; BMJ Global Health, Volume 8, Issue 12

Quote:

“….investment in strong primary care (a centrally important subcomponent of PHC-oriented health systems) is the most impactful, equitable and cost-effective way of advancing UHC. Evidence-based investment in primary care is one of the most cost-effective and equitable ways of reducing pain, disease and death around the world. Investment in strong primary care services also supports hospital services by preventing illness, ensuring that the right cases get through to secondary care, and by promoting longitudinal and coordinated management. Now is the time to redouble advocacy for strong primary care; to promote the holistic 'whole-of-society' vision of PHC with consistency and clarity; and to start amplifying synergies between primary care and hospital services for UHC.”

Let’s Get It Right: Consistent Measurement of the Drivers of Health

Melinda K. Abrams et al; The Commonwealth Fund Blog, 15 December 2023

An estimated 80 percent of health outcomes stem from social, economic, environmental, and behavioral factors known as drivers of health (DOH) — everything from stable housing and food security to personal safety. On To the Point, experts from the Commonwealth Fund, the Blue Shield of California Foundation, and the Health Initiative find that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ approval of the first DOH measures in Medicare’s history have, along with other actions, accelerated efforts to address drivers of health and advance equity. At the same time, however, consistent implementation has lagged, they say.

Delivering safe, good-quality care leading to high patient satisfaction: the benefits of advancing nursing roles in the Netherlands

WHO Europe, News Release, 03-01-2024

“Nurse practitioners combine nursing with medical skills and knowledge, allowing them to be able to deliver more holistic, integrated care for patients,” explains Inge Rinzema, who is among the more than 5000 nurse practitioners in the Netherlands and Chair of the Dutch Professional Association for Nursing Specialists (V&VN VS). Inge has been caring for older adults since 2014, mainly in a nursing home in the city of Groningen but also through home visits to those too infirm to visit a health-care centre. She provides consultancy to local general practitioners as well. Over the years, Inge has noticed that the needs of her patients have changed considerably, reflecting how our populations are ageing.

Who’s who in General Practice? Research can help practices introduce new roles

Candace Imison; Health and Social Care Services research, 19 Dec 2023

England faces challenges in training, recruiting and retaining enough GPs to deliver primary care for an ageing population with more complex needs. The range of roles in general practice is being expanded to help meet this growing demand.

The authors begin by exploring research findings on the introduction and impact of some key roles that are changing in general practice. These include nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, physician associates, physiotherapists, health care assistants and nursing associates, care coordinators and social prescribers. They then look at findings from a major NIHR study on the impact of changes in skill mix on GP workload and satisfaction; it also looked at clinical quality and cost. Finally, they draw together the combined learning to set out how general practices and Primary Care Networks can realise the benefits of expanded multidisciplinary teams.

The Political Determinants of Health Inequity - Another End of the World is Possible

Remco van de Pas; Medicus Mundi Switzerland, Bulletin, #167

Ten years ago, The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health released a report on the political origins of health inequity. (Ottersen et, al., 2014) The independent academic commission was formed in 2011. It was initiated by The Lancet and the Ministry of Health in Norway to examine new thinking and analyses on broader, transnational, determinants of health. The commission provided recommendations on how to improve global governance for health. As such it built on the agenda of the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative, a club of seven countries who in 2006 decided to jointly advance the issue of health as foreign policy within the UN and beyond. (Sandberg et. al., 2016) The Collective on the Political Determinants of Health is taking this legacy forward. (University of Oslo, 2023) This article will take stock of the main themes and recommendations of the commission, and includes some thoughts on an alternative pathway.