Issue 54, 9 September 2010

In this edition Welcome News from the EU Reporting from across Europe EU Press Releases Forthcoming Events New Publications Focus
		Subscribe Previous editions Submit events About Health-EU Send to a friend

Welcome

Who will care for an ageing population?

Andrzej Rys, Director for Public Health and Risk Assessment, European Commission

Healthcare workers are the motor of the health system. Their knowledge and motivation keep us healthy. We are, however, facing a real challenge: it is estimated that by 2020 there will be a shortage of approximately 1,000,000 healthcare workers in the EU.

Europe's population is ageing, which means that demand for healthcare will increase while the number of young healthcare workers is decreasing. This can have serious consequences on healthcare as we know it. We need to confront this issue today and think together about what skills and human resources will be necessary to address our healthcare needs in the future. A shortage of healthcare professionals might directly impact patients by jeopardising the accessibility, quality and safety of healthcare.

For this reason, I am very pleased that the Belgian EU presidency has decided to host a ministerial conference on 9 - 10 September to discuss all aspects of the health workforce in Europe. It will bring together politicians and stakeholders to share experiences and build on good practice from around the EU.

We look forward to the results of this important meeting.

News from the EU

Project on Public Health Capacity in the EU

The European Commission (EAHC and DG SANCO) has contracted a consortium representing major professional organisations in public health in Europe to review current public health capacity and make recommendations for EU action and support.

"How can we avoid a stroke crisis?" – working group report

The report "How Can We Avoid a Stroke Crisis?" was published on 9 December 2009 in the European Parliament in Brussels at the inaugural meeting of the MEP Heart Group, a cross party group of parliament members (MEPs) with an interest in cardiovascular diseases.

Green Paper on European Workforce for Health

This Green Paper aims to initiate a debate on the health workforce in the EU, with a view to reinforcing their numbers and training them.

Reporting from across Europe

France

Plan Alzheimer plan 2008-2012

The French government's Alzheimer plan seeks to give an unprecedented boost to research, encourage earlier diagnosis and promote better care for patients and their caregivers.

United Kingdom

111 - New number for non-emergency health services in the UK

A new three-digit number - 111 - will make it easier for patients to access non-emergency National Health Service care wherever they are, 24 hours a day.

EU Press Releases

Improved web-tool for finding EU Public Health data now on-line!

The new version of the ECHI (European Community Health Indicators) tool allows users to view and download core indicators as dynamic graphs, maps and tables covering all EU countries and broken down by age and gender.

Forthcoming Events

Investing in tomorrow's European health professionals – ministerial conference (9 - 10 September 2010)

The conference will bring EU countries together to discuss an effective future policy for innovation and cooperation.

Urology week 2010 (13 - 17 September)

The European Association of Urology (EAU), patient organisation Europa Uomo and national urological societies encourage people, in particular men over 50, to visit their doctors for a regular check-up.

10th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (21 - 24 September 2010)

The key theme of the conference is "Safe and Equitable Communities", reflecting the disproportionate burden from almost all types of injuries that falls on poorer communities.

Ministerial Conference "Innovation and Solidarity" (23 - 24 September 2010)

A high-level strategic meeting held with the Commission aiming to draw conclusions on how to improve access to medicine.

OECD Health Ministerial Meeting (7 - 8 October 2010)

Health ministers from OECD countries will discuss how to enhance quality, reduce waste and promote healthy lifestyles.

Innovative approaches for chronic illnesses in public health and healthcare systems – ministerial conference (19 -20 October 2010)

EU countries are increasingly facing common challenges with the growing burden of chronic diseases. In the WHO European Region, chronic diseases represent 86% of mortality and have significant economic implications.

New Publications

Le personnel soignant en Europe. "Learning from experience"

The case studies contained in this volume provide a means of exchanging information on the challenges that countries face and the solutions that they are exploring.

Migration of health personnel in the WHO European Region

This report brings together available information on health workforce flows and discusses the limitations. It reviews the literature on the types of health workforce migration, the factors associated with the decision to migrate and the choice of a destination.

Exploring health workforce inequalities - case studies from 3 countries

Many low- and middle-income countries face acute shortages and maldistribution of skilled health workers, making it less likely that health systems' objectives and national and international health and development goals will be met.

Focus

Investing in Europe’s health workforce of tomorrow

Activities at EU level

Health-EU - Policies

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

Health workforce

European Commission - DG Health and Consumers

News

Call for proposals to develop and coordinate a network of nursing educators and regulators

A call for proposals to develop and coordinate a network of nursing educators and regulators was published on 16 December 2009. Proposals were to be submitted by 31 March 2010.

Health Programme Projects

Developing competencies and professional standards for health-promotion capacity building in Europe

The project aims to use a consensus-building approach to create tools for implementing quality governance standards in health promotion across Europe in order to stimulate innovation and best practice.

In this edition