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8

Newsletter N° 154 – January 2018

In this issue:

HOPE activities

HOPE meets European Health Commissioner Andriukaitis

Antimicrobial Resistance: HOPE signed the Joint Statement

Brexit: stakeholders joint position to prioritise patients

Personalised Medicine Conference, 27-30 November, Belfast

ICT4Life Consortium meeting, 18-19 January, Maastricht

News from Members

Portugal – Portuguese Association for Hospital Development, 2nd Edition of

the Lean Health Meeting, 2-3 November 2017, Lisbon

Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Health Priorities

EU institutions and policies

Public Health

Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 8 December 2017, Conclusions

Patient Safety: changes introduced by the Commission

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Knowledge Gateway

Vaccine preventable diseases: stakeholders’ consultation

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 2 of 36

Internal market

Biosimilars: consensus information in 23 languages

Guide on socially responsible public procurement: stakeholder consultation

Digital market

Cross-border digital prescription and patient data exchange

Innovation procurement: 124,2M € of EU funding for 2018-2019

Social Affairs

Employment and Social Policy Council, 7 December 2017, Conclusions

Social infrastructure investment – High level task force report, 23 January

2018

Justice and Home Affairs

Terrorist attacks in public spaces: EU Operators Forum, 20 December

2017, Brussels

Cybersecurity: civil society consultation by European Economic & Social

Committee

Environment

Pharmaceuticals in the environment: stakeholders’ consultation

Regional and Urban Policy

"Boosting EU Border Regions" platform launched

European programmes and projects

Work Programme 2018: focus on European Reference Networks for rare

diseases, health promotion and mitigating cross-border health threats

Investment, research & innovation, SMEs and single market: public

consultation on EU funds

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 3 of 36

Reports and publications

Reports

➢ World Health Organization (WHO)

Climate change, protecting health in Europe: 2017 update

Age-friendly environments in Europe. A handbook of domains for policy

action (2017)

Prescribing and using antibiotics wisely: WHO/Europe launches online

course for clinicians

HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2017 - ECDC–WHO

➢ Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD)

Inclusive growth and health

Measuring patient experiences (PREMS): Progress made by the OECD

and its member countries between 2006 and 2016

Prevention: how much do OECD countries spend?

Electronic health record systems: ready to contribute to national health

information and research

Health expenditures in OECD countries: convergence and determinants

➢ Other

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and reimbursement procedures,

analysis in EUnetHTA partner countries: final report

Exclusion in Europe: Mapping and Understanding– Mental Health Europe

Articles

Making the link: mobile Health (mHealth) – EuroHealthNet

Integrated care approaches to manage multimorbidity : targeting people

with multiple chronic conditions in Europe – Health Policy, Volume 122,

Issue 1, January 2018

Healthcare personnel statistics: dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists

– Eurostat

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 4 of 36

Other news – Europe

“Integrated Care – Don’t forget about the Mouth”, Council of European

Dentists event in the European Parliament Brussels, 29 November 2017

Access Campaign – European Patients Forum, 6 December 2017

Patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare – European Patients Forum

Roundtable, Brussels, 4 December 2017

Clinical trials: Belgium and Netherlands invest 6 million euros in BeNeFIT:

a unique international pilot project in health research

‘Shifting to value: transforming Europe Health systems”, Brussels, 6

December 2017

Upcoming HOPE (and co-organised) conferences and events

HOPE Study Tour - The Danish Way in

Quality and Health Care

Copenhagen, 10–11//04/2018

9th European Conference on Rare Diseases &

Orphan Products (ECRD 2018)

Vienna, 10-12/05/2018

18th International conference on Integrated

Care - “Value for People and Populations:

Investing in Integrated Care”

Utrecht, 23-25/05/2018

HOPE Agora 2018 Stockholm, 3-5/06/2018

26th International Conference on Health

Promoting Hospitals and Health Services

Bologna, 6-8/06/2018

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 5 of 36

HOPE meets European Health Commissioner Andriukaitis

On 25 January 2018, HOPE President Eva Weinreich-Jensen, Vice-President Urmas Sule and

CEO Pascal Garel met Mr. Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food

Safety.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the new elected team, to take stock of the actions

taken and to list present issues.

The first two items HOPE wanted to raise on 25 January 2018 were already on the agenda of

the first meeting with the Commissioner: Falsified Medicines Directive; CEN attempts in

healthcare standardisation.

HTA, digitalisation, State of health, AMR, vaccinations and several other topics were also of

this meeting that lasted for one hour and a half.

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 6 of 36

Antimicrobial Resistance: HOPE signed the Joint Statement

HOPE has signed the joint statement on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) presented by the

European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) on 27 November 2017 at the EU Health Policy

Platform meeting.

The statement was the result of an intensive collaborative drafting and revision process by the

Thematic Network on Antimicrobial Resistance. This network was established following the

2016 EU Health Policy Platform in order to engage a diverse group of external partners around

this topic and work together on a consensus basis in relation to the content of the new EU One

Health Action Plan against AMR. The Thematic Network became operational in May and few

months after, a Joint Statement and Call to Action on AMR were created.

This statement - One Voice for One Health - calls for important improvements and resources

for its implementation at the national level. In particular, the statement contains eleven key

points for action that its signatories would like to see addressed by the European Commission

and the relevant Executive Agencies working on AMR:

➢ Involve civil society in AMR-One Health policymaking;

➢ Support the development and implementation of National Action Plans and allocate

adequate European funds to actions against AMR;

➢ Address all aspects of the One Health approach;

➢ Improve and regularly update the data on AMR burden in Europe;

➢ Analyse and benchmark collected data;

➢ Make full use of EU legislative powers in AMR relevant sectors;

➢ Nurture and actively involve healthcare professionals, including students;

➢ Put into practice existing evidence and continue scientific research to obtain a better

understanding;

➢ Adopt a “prevention is better than cure” approach;

➢ Support and promote the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs);

➢ Empower patients and raise public awareness.

Read more

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 7 of 36

Brexit: stakeholders joint position to prioritise patients

On 7 December 2017, HOPE and a group of European organisations representing patients,

healthcare professionals and the health care industry have called on the EU and UK to

prioritise patients in the Brexit negotiations.

To coincide with the EPSCO Council of EU Health Ministers in Brussels, this policy statement

came just one week before the European Council meeting where negotiators decided if the

Article 50 negotiations could move beyond ‘phase 1’. It is important to move to the second

phase of the negotiations as quickly as possible and agree on an adequate transition period

and future cooperation after March 2019.

The document outlines five priorities, which the group says will ‘determine the risk in Brexit’s

impact on patients and public health across Europe’.

These priorities are:

➢ Bring close cooperation between the EU and UK on the regulation of medicines and

medical technologies, to ensure that UK and EU patients will continue to have access

to life-saving medicines and medical technologies.

➢ Establish a common framework for collaboration in research and information sharing

between the EU27 and the UK.

➢ Ensure that there are continued reciprocal healthcare arrangements between the EU

and UK.

➢ Develop strong coordination between the EU and UK on public health, including in

pandemic preparation and disease prevention programmes.

➢ Ensure EU and UK health professionals continue to benefit from mutually beneficial

training and education opportunities, with automatic recognition of qualifications.

Read More

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 8 of 36

Personalised Medicine Conference, 27-30 November, Belfast

HOPE President Eva Weinreich-Jensen spoke at the 1st Inaugural European Personalised

Health Congress: Personalising Health taking place from 27 to 30 November 2017 in Belfast.

A parallel session organised by HOPE was devoted to Converting Hospitals to a Personalised

Health Agenda.

Many European hospitals have already begun to define what personalised medicine means to

their hospital and have developed their strategies for implementation. And as hospitals solidify

their definition and vision of personalised medicine as well as their approach for

implementation to create a culture of customised healthcare, leading practices will continue to

emerge. Just as doctors will no longer be able to apply the same forms of treatment to patients,

hospitals will not be able to apply the same approach to addressing the challenges brought on

by personalised medicine. Hospitals and providers have many options for how they respond

to the changing market

The dawn of personalised medicine brings not only new advances to our healthcare system

today, but also key challenges. This new science has led many participants in the healthcare

industry, such as providers, to consider how best to adapt to these challenges and foster a

consumer-focused culture. Hospitals have a clear opportunity to adapt to the new healthcare

paradigm and provide services that are targeted to the individual patient. It is important to

recognise, however, that different hospitals operate and require different models.

HOPE Chief Executive Pascal Garel chaired the session for the four speakers. Eva Weinreich-

Jensen (President, HOPE & Senior Advisor, Danish Regions) presented unique possibilities

for realizing the potential of personalised medicine in the Danish healthcare system. Owen

Smith (CBE Professor of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, University College Dublin and

Director, Clinical Academic Directorate for Cancer Care, Ireland East Hospital Group)

presented ‘From Carpet Bombing to Sniper Fire: Genomics to Precision Cancer Care in

Children and Adolescents’, followed by Manuel Salto-Tellez (Professor of Pathology, Centre

for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University Belfast) on ‘Integrated Molecular

Pathology: The Belfast Mode’. The session was concluded by Stephen McMahon, chairman

and co-founder of the Irish Patients' Association (IPA) Dublin.

More information

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 9 of 36

ICT4Life Consortium meeting in Maastricht

On 18 – 19 January 2018, HOPE took part in the ICT4Life Consortium meeting in Maastricht.

The meeting aimed to coordinate partners’ work and review testing results to prepare for the

pilot phase.

During the two-day meeting, ICT4Life consortium has agreed on the pilot final roadmap in the

perspective of imminent launch of the pilots in three sites in France, Spain, and Hungary in

order to test and fine-tune the technology. The pilots will consider three scenarios and will take

place in a rehabilitation centre (Madrid), in three-day care centres (Madrid, Pécs and Paris)

and in six patient’s homes (Madrid, Pécs and Paris).

ICT4Life end-user partners, E-Seniors, Madrid Parkinson Association and the University of

Pécs have achieved ambitious quantitative results during the field work: 315 users have been

involved from October 2016 until December 2017 in the testing of the ICT4Life system. The

testing focused on the ICT4Life mobile app and Smart TV app for patients and caregivers and

on the web platform for health professionals.

The event included also technical meetings which gave the opportunity to the technical

partners to work on the system in the perspective of its launch. Moreover, the deployment and

technical methodology to be used for the pilot phase in 2018 was presented and some partners

worked on the subsystem and could test some of the devices. The possibility of linking the

results of the iterative testing with the exploitation strategy was also discussed since it

represents one of the priority for the last year of the project.

During the event, a video shooting was performed with the aim of including the recorded

images of the Consortium members in the official ICT4Life promotional video soon-to-be

released.

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 10 of 36

Portugal – Portuguese Association for Hospital Development

2nd Edition of the Lean Health Meeting, 2-3 November, Lisbon

The 2nd edition of the Lean Health Meeting, organized by the Portuguese Association for

Hospital Development and the Virginia Mason Institute which took place on 2 - 3 November

2017, at the Rectory of the New University of Lisbon, was a great success. It was attended by

His Excellency the Secretary of State for Health, Dr. Manuel Delgado, the President of ACSS

(the Central Authority for Health Systems) and Dr. Marta Temido, representing His Excellency

the Minister of Health, Dr. Adalberto Campos Fernandes.

The success is due not only to the quality of all the speakers and brilliance of their

presentations, but also to the participant’s presence that learned and shared their experiences.

Site event

See pictures

You can enjoy two films which synthetize the two days event: 2 November & 3 November

For more information about Lean Health Meeting 2017, contact Portuguese Association for

Hospital Development | E-Mail: geral@apdh.pt | 00351 963 668 745

LEAN HEALTH MEETING IN NUMBERS

300 Participants

8 Case

studies presente

9 Topics

covered

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 11 of 36

Health Priorities

❖ Two main priorities have been identified by the Bulgarian Presidency for its mandate:

➢ Healthy nutrition, especially for children, in the continuation of the work started by the

Dutch and Maltese Presidencies with a focus on the impact in relation with chronical

diseases.

➢ Medicinal products, with a conference on providing access to effective medicinal

products (Sofia, 6 March) focusing on prices, supply etc.

The two topics will be discussed during the informal meeting of employment, social policy

and health ministers (EPSCO) in April 2018

❖ Legislative issues

Health Technology Assessment (HTA): The European Commission proposal should be

released on 31 January 2018, but the Presidency plans to start active discussion only

around 17 April 2018. The text could also be presented during the HTA network on 9

February and could include references to medical devices.

❖ Non-legislative issues

In relation with the potential suppression of the Health Programme (related to the financial

framework), the Presidency would like exchange views with the Member States (MS) on

the future of health policies in the EU.

❖ Health-related priorities

➢ Sustainable and future-oriented environment: The Bulgarian Presidency will

work towards safeguarding the high standards of environmental protection by

minimising harmful impact on the environment and human health, including through

new technologies.

➢ Promoting entrepreneurship and social innovation: The Bulgarian Presidency

will work to promote entrepreneurship based on digital technology and innovation.

This includes incentives for social innovation in the economy, in education,

healthcare, information and communication technologies with a focus on young

people, the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the development of skills and

competences for the 21st century.

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 12 of 36

Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 8 December 2017,

Conclusions

Health ministers took stock of the state of pharmaceutical policy in the EU, focusing on future

perspectives. The debate responded to the need to strengthen the balance in the

pharmaceutical systems in the EU and its member states.

The Council adopted conclusions on cross-border aspects in alcohol policy. These

conclusions focus on cross-border issues such as labelling, advertising through social media

and the cross-border transport of alcoholic beverages.

The Council adopted conclusions on "Health in the digital society – making progress in

data-driven innovation in the field of health".

Read more on Digital Health conclusions

Patient Safety: changes introduced by the Commission

HOPE as member of the Expert Group on Patient Safety, was informed that the Commission

has decided to discontinue the expert group.

The Commission has instead set up a new mechanism, the Steering Group on Health

Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases (the

Steering Group on Promotion and Prevention in short), to maximise joint efforts with the EU

Member States for reaching the nine voluntary targets of the World Health Organisation (WHO)

by 2025 and meeting Sustainable Development Goal which aims to reduce premature mortality

from non-communicable diseases by one third by 2030. In addition, there is a need to better

prioritise and increase the impact of actions supported by the EU in order to improve the

population's health and the sustainability of health systems.

Rather than focusing only on one disease area or risk factor the Steering Group on Promotion

and Prevention is a horizontal group to allow for a higher-level prioritisation of policies to be

implemented by the Member States. It will help in overcoming the silo mentality between

disease areas and allow for setting up a lighter, more effective system of priority setting in the

area of public health against the current and future EU priorities. It will allow for a more

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 13 of 36

coordinated and joined up approach to tackling non- communicable diseases in a situation

where we all face economic and resource constraints. The Steering Group is chaired by the

Commission and it has met three times, latest on 26 October 2017.

The WHO targets a 25% relative reduction in the overall mortality from non-communicable

diseases, as well as targets on health determinants (alcohol, nutrition and physical activity,

tobacco, blood pressure) and on accessibility of care. The Mid-term evaluation of the 3rd

Health Programme 2014-2020 highlighted the Programme's achievements in generating,

using, exchanging best practices and recommended better defining Member States needs to

integrate best practices into national policies to increase its impact. The Steering Group on

Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of Non-Communicable Diseases has

held meetings in November 2016 and in April and October in 2017. All EU Member States and

the EEA countries are represented in the Group which is chaired by the European Commission.

The Steering Group will be a central mechanism for taking positions on priority actions to be

implemented in all areas of health promotion, including nutrition and physical activity and

reduction of alcohol-related harm; disease prevention including screening, and management

of non-communicable diseases including all relevant health challenges including cancer,

mental health, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc.

As the Commission plans to put the Steering Group on Promotion and Prevention on a formal

footing, it considers that it should consequently need to simplify and streamline work to avoid

a risk of duplication. It is against this background that the objective of the current expert group

on patient safety will be embedded into the aims of the Steering Group and therefore, the

expert group will be discontinued.

Nevertheless, the Commission envisages integrating relevant aspects of its work into other on-

going activities according to the field in question, like into the Joint Action on Antimicrobial

Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections. This action will aim to, inter alia, support

strategy development at national, local, and health care setting level in the field of health-care

associated infections, develop and enhance the implementation of evidence-based tools to

enable sustainable improvements in practice by health care staff and teams in hospitals, as

well as in long term care and community settings and promote awareness and commitment by

governments and stakeholders.

The Joint Action on Chronic Diseases will also cover patient safety aspects, like quality in

prevention and care in chronic diseases. Lastly, with the help of the Steering Group on

Promotion and Prevention, we will also be able to review the large number of best practices

created by past actions and make strategic decisions on selecting those best practices which

Member States will want to implement nationally.

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 14 of 36

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Knowledge Gateway

The European Commission has launched a Knowledge Gateway on Health Promotion and

Disease Prevention to support the implementation of health policies across the EU.

The new web gateway, developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European

Commission Directorate-General Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), provides independent

information on topics related to the promotion of health and the prevention of non-

communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Commissioner

Andriukaitis visited JRC Ispra on 4 December 2017 to discuss JRC support to his portfolio and

to launch the Health Promotion Gateway

The first six briefs published address marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages, health

inequalities as well as the intake of dietary fibre, protein, fruit, vegetables and whole grain. In

addition to defining the issue at hand and its health-related implications, each brief provides a

summary of EU data and lists best-practices, actions, interventions as well as concrete policies

that address the topic. Briefs on other topics, including sugar, fats and the effects of alcohol as

well as the burden and cost of the diseases associated with poor diet and lack of physical

activity, will be added in the near future.

The launch of the Gateway follows the call for a healthy lifestyle made in Tartu, Estonia, on 22

September by Commissioners Phil Hogan (agriculture and rural development), Tibor

Navracsics (education, culture, youth and sport) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (health and food

safety), which sets out a roadmap for promoting healthy lifestyles in Europe, particular amongst

children, over the next two years.

Vaccine preventable diseases: stakeholders’ consultation

In order to find ways to help the EU and its Member States to increase vaccine coverage in

Europe, the European Commission Directorate-General Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)

is planning an EU initiative to address vaccine hesitancy, to strengthen vaccine programmes,

and to increase EU cooperation on vaccination. It already published a roadmap in December

2017, highlighting the aims and objectives of the initiative. A public consultation is also

running until 15 March.

Added to that, a stakeholder consultation has just opened. It focusses on how EU can act

with Member States to address some of the vaccination challenges we are facing today, how

can the EU reach the people who are refusing to be vaccinated, how can the EU boost research

on vaccines, how can the EU tackle shortages in vaccines, how can the EU communicate more

effectively about vaccines, who are the key actors in vaccination and other suggestions to

achieve the objectives of strengthening cooperation against vaccine diseases. This

consultation is open from 17 January to 14 February.

Stakeholders’ consultation

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 15 of 36

Biosimilars: consensus information in 23 languages

Biological medicines (including biosimilars) come from living cells that have been modified

using biotechnology. A biosimilar medicine is almost identical to an existing biological

medicine. They’re used to treat severe diseases such as cancers. Biosimilars have the

potential to create competition in the biological medicine market and provide patients with

broader affordable access to the newest medicines.

In early December 2017, the European Commission published translations of comprehensive

information for patients on biosimilar medicines. It contains questions and answers on

biosimilar medicines and is now available in 23 languages, serving as a reliable source of

information for patients. The information guide for healthcare professionals prepared by the

Commission and the European Medicines Agency is expected to be available in 6 additional

languages in the first half of 2018. The guide is an aid for EU healthcare professionals. It gives

reference information on the science and regulation supporting the use of biosimilars in the

EU.

Document on biosimilar medicines – Information for patients (2016/2017)

Information guide for healthcare professionals (2017)

Guide on socially responsible public procurement: stakeholder

consultation

The Commission services (DG GROW) have launched a targeted consultation on the scope

and structure of a guide on socially responsible public procurement. The consultation will be

running until 1 March 2018.

The consultation has been launched in the process of the revision of the 2011 Buying Social

guide. Promoting the use of strategic public procurement among EU public authorities,

including socially responsible public procurement (or SRPP), is one of the pillars of the

Commission Communication included in the recently adopted Public Procurement package.

The consultation is addressed to all stakeholders engaged in the policy and practice of socially

responsible public procurement.

Access the consultation

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 16 of 36

Cross-border digital prescription and patient data exchange

In 2018, the European eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure will start operating, sharing

patient summaries and e-prescriptions in a safe way across borders. This communication

infrastructure is provided jointly by the European Commission and the national healthcare

systems.

Twelve EU Member States will start exchanging patient data on a regular basis: Sweden,

Finland, Portugal, Croatia, and Estonia. Five more countries are scheduled to join the network

in 2019, and another wave is expected for 2020 with six more countries currently negotiating

to join the club.

Until now European healthcare systems exchanged digital patient data only in projects, and

on a limited scale. This time, twelve EU Member States will start exchanging patient data. They

are backed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), a funding programme which promotes

growth, jobs and competitiveness in Europe.

Innovation procurement: 124,2M € of EU funding for 2018-2019

Horizon 2020 is launching calls in 2018-19 that offer EU funding to public procurers and other

stakeholders from different countries to prepare and implement pre-commercial procurements

(PCP) and public procurements of innovative solutions (PPI) together. Calls are available in

health, security, energy, ICT etc. There is also an open call in 2018 for PCP proposals that

address challenges in any domain of public interest that require an ICT based solution

(deadline 17 April 2018).

Through innovation procurement the public sector can drive innovation from the demand side.

This enables the public sector to modernize public services faster while creating opportunities

for companies in Europe to bring research results to the market and gain leadership in new

markets.

Horizon 2020 supports two complementary types of innovation procurement: Pre-Commercial

Procurement (PCP) addresses the development and testing of innovative solutions, Public

Procurement of Innovative solutions (PPI) focuses on the deployment of innovative solutions.

Read more

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 17 of 36

Employment and Social Policy Council, 7 December 2017,

Conclusions

The Council agreed its position (general approach) on the accessibility directive. This

legislation will make it much easier for persons with disabilities to access products and

services.

The Council reached a partial agreement on its position (partial general approach) on the

regulation on the coordination of social security systems. This agreement covers the

chapters on long-term care benefits and family benefits. It facilitates labour mobility and

introduces better safeguards of citizens' rights in cross-border situations.

The Council assessed progress on the equal treatment and work-life balance directives.

Ministers exchanged views on the European Semester 2018, following the economic package

presented by the Commission in November. The Council approved the social and employment

aspects of the euro area recommendation.

The Council adopted conclusions on: "The future of work: Making it e-Easy”, “Enhancing

community-based support and care for independent living" and "Enhanced measures to

reduce horizontal gender segregation in education and employment."

The Council formally adopted the directive on the protection against carcinogens or

mutagens at work in order to improve protection of workers against exposure to 13

carcinogens.

Read more on carcinogens

Read more on accessibility directive

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 18 of 36

Social infrastructure investment – High level task force report, 23

January 2018

HOPE was invited on 23 January 2018 to the presentation of the report “Boosting investment

in social infrastructure in Europe” of the High-Level Task Force.

Prof. Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and Jyrki Katainen, Vice-

President of the European Commission were among the keynote speakers.

The High-Level Task Force on investing in social infrastructure in Europe was promoted by the

European Association of Long-Term Investors (ELTI) and established in February 2017, in

close consultation with the European Commission. Its purpose was to assess how long-term

investment in social infrastructure could be boosted and to make recommendations and

proposals. This investment would focus on the priority areas of education, lifelong learning,

health and long-term care as well as on affordable, accessible and energy-efficient housing.

According to the report investment in social infrastructure, both private and public, is far from

reaching the level needed to cater for the EU current population, nor is the investment always

appropriate in view of changing needs and expectations over the coming decades. The current

investment in social infrastructure in the EU has been estimated at approximately EUR 170

billion per annum. The minimum infrastructure gap in social infrastructure investment is

estimated at EUR 100-150 billion per annum.

Since the global economic and financial crisis, the EU has been suffering from low levels of

investment. In Europe, infrastructure investments in 2016 were 20 % below the level

experienced in 2007. Moreover, investment in social infrastructure has lagged even more

behind traditional infrastructure investment. Nonetheless, the gap differs widely across

regions. Another reason for the existence of this gap is that investing in social infrastructure is,

by and large, the responsibility of local authorities. These are sometimes subject to even tighter

budget constraints.

This report argues that a major boost is needed in long-term social infrastructure investment.

Such needs will have to consider future changes in European social models.

It proposes that the greatest attention should be given to:

➢ shifting from an underinvestment scenario towards a smart capacitating

investment framework with ongoing monitoring of progress at national level;

➢ promoting social infrastructure finance, focusing on the regions with most

needs;

➢ establishing a stable and more investment-friendly environment;

➢ increasing and boosting the pipeline of viable projects for social infrastructure;

➢ strengthening the role of European national and regional promotional banks and

institutions (NPBIs) when they cooperate with public authorities and European

bodies.

Report

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 19 of 36

Terrorist attacks in public spaces: EU Operators Forum, 20

December 2017, Brussels

HOPE was invited to speak on 20 December 2017 in Brussels at the first meeting of the EU

Operators Forum created by the European Commission to enhance public-private cooperation

on the protection of places accessible to the public.

On 18 October 2017, the European Commission has adopted an Action Plan which proposes

new measures to support the protection of EU citizens against terrorist attacks in public

spaces. The Commission is providing €18.5 million from the Internal Security Fund to support

transnational projects improving the protection of public spaces. In 2018, a further €100 million

from the Urban Innovative Actions will support cities investing in security solutions. Over the

next year, the Commission will issue new guidance material to help Member States address a

wide range of issues related to the protection of public spaces and raising public awareness.

The guidance will include technical "security by design" solutions to make public spaces more

secure while preserving their open and public nature. The Commission will establish a

Practitioners' Forum and set up a High-Risk Security Network in November 2017 to provide

a platform for common training and joint exercises to improve preparedness against attacks.

In this context, an important action of the European Commission was to launch a new forum

to facilitate enhanced public-private cooperation on the protection of places accessible to the

public: the so-called EU Operators' Forum. In this forum, relevant stakeholders have the

opportunity to gather available guidance, develop recommendations and discuss and share

best practice.

On 20 December 2017, Sir Julian King, Commissioner for the Security Union opened the first

meeting of the Forum. The Commission representatives (Directorate General HOME) then

addressed lessons learnt from recent attacks on public spaces and the various actions taken

to mitigate and counter the threat. Finally, in the exchange on good practices various sectors

presented examples of good practices (such as hotels, entertainment, sports stadiums,

transport and, aviation security).

Pascal Garel, HOPE Chief Executive, presented the specifics of the hospital sector and some

examples collected, in particular the French strategy by which all hospitals had until June 2017

to adopt a security plan integrating the terrorist threat.

The next step will be to create several thematic groups. HOPE will take part in the hospitality

one.

Read more

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 20 of 36

Cybersecurity: civil society consultation by European Economic &

Social Committee (EESC)

On 13 September 2017 the European Commission submitted to the Council a proposal for a

Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on ENISA, the "EU cybersecurity

Agency", and the repealing Regulation (EU 526/2013), and on Information and Communication

technology cybersecurity certification ("Cybersecurity Act").

The Council decided to consult the EESC on this proposal. As part of its consultative work, the

EESC has held a public hearing entitled "Cybersecurity act", which took place on Tuesday,

9 January 2018, at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Brussels.

The event offered the opportunity to take stock of the emergence of a model of European

resilience in the context of attacks hitting citizens, social systems and economic sectors across

Member States.

These activities follow the adoption of the EESC opinion "Strengthening Europe's Cyber

Resilience System" (TEN / 608) adopted in December 2016 :

Pharmaceuticals in the environment: stakeholders’ consultation

The European Commission launched a consultation on pharmaceuticals in the environment.

This consultation is part of a study aimed at supporting the development of a European Union

(EU) strategic approach to pharmaceuticals in the environment, and in turn at helping the EU

achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 6 ("Clean Water

and Sanitation"), as well as objectives in EU legislation such as the "good status" objective in

the Water Framework Directive.

The consultation seeks views on possible actions to address the risks from pharmaceuticals

in the environment and also to obtain views and information to support the development of the

Commission's strategic approach to pharmaceuticals in the environment.

The consultation is opened until 21 February 2018.

The questionnaire is available here

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"Boosting EU Border Regions" platform launched

Mid-January 2018, the online platform "Boosting EU border regions" was launched by the

Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy.

This EU-wide online professional network is part of the 10 measures proposed in the

Commission Communication "Boosting Growth and Cohesion in EU Border Regions".

This communication aims to reveal ways in which the complexity, length and costs of cross-

border interaction across Europe can be reduced. It also aims to promote the pooling of

services along internal EU borders.

To support the proposed measures and to ensure that good practices are shared, this online

professional network provides with a platform to discuss and present concrete issues of the

border regions and showcase potential solutions.

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Work Programme 2018: focus on European Reference Networks for

rare diseases, health promotion and mitigating cross-border health

threats

In December the Commission adopted the Health Programme's Work Programme for 2018

(WP 2018) setting out the priorities and actions to be undertaken during that year. The overall

budget for 2018 is just over €62 million, with 64% being allocated to grants, 24% to

procurement and 12% to other actions including prizes.

The WP 2018 will focus on priority areas such as:

• Support to the European Reference Networks for rare and complex diseases (29% of

the budget);

• The promotion of health and prevention of chronic and major diseases (15%);

• Strengthening preparedness and response to serious cross-border health threats

(15%); and

• The implementation of EU legislation on medical devices (7%)

All grants for projects will be implemented through a call for proposals, organised and managed

by the Consumer, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) which will be

launched in the first half of 2018.

With a total budget of close to € 450 million for 2014-2020, the Health Programme is the main

financial instrument for policy coordination in the area of health and supports and complements

Member States' efforts towards the achievement of major Commission priorities. This is done

by pursuing the following four specific objectives:

Objective 1: Promote health, prevent diseases, and foster supportive environments for

healthy lifestyles.

Objective 2: Protect citizens from serious cross-border health threats by identifying and

developing coherent approaches and promoting their implementation for better preparedness

and coordination in health emergencies.

Objective 3: Support public health capacity building and contribute to innovative, efficient

and sustainable health systems.

Objective 4: Facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for EU citizens, by increasing

access to medical expertise and information for specific conditions, also beyond national

borders.

More information

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 23 of 36

Investment, research & innovation, SMEs and single market: public

consultation on EU funds

On 10 January 2018, the European Commission launched a consultation on EU funds in the

area of investment, research & innovation, SMEs and single market.

Through this on-line consultation, open until 8 March 2018, the European Commission is

inviting public input on the EU budget for it successor to the Horizon 2020 research program,

covering the single market, small- and medium-sized businesses and other financial

assistance programs for stimulating innovation. The views expressed will serve the

Commission as it prepares its proposal for the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework, running

from 2021 to 2027.

The Commission's proposals will be designed to make it possible for the EU to deliver on the

things that matter most, in areas where it can achieve more than Member States acting alone.

This requires a careful assessment both of what has worked well in the past and what could

be improved in the future. This consultation is an integral part of the process and its objective

is to collect the views of all interested parties on how to make the most of every euro of the EU

budget.

The consultation is open to all citizens, organisations and stakeholders with an interest and/or

involvement in issues related to investment, entrepreneurship, research, innovation and SMEs.

It is accessible in 23 EU languages, and contributions may be submitted in any of the official

EU languages.

Access the consultation

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 24 of 36

➢ World Health Organization (WHO)

Climate change, protecting health in Europe: 2017 update

Current evidence that the climate is changing is overwhelming. Impacts of climate change and

variability are being observed: more intense heat-waves, fires and floods; and increased

prevalence of food- water- and vector-borne diseases. Climate change will put pressure on

environmental and health determinants, such as food safety, air pollution and water quantity

and quality. A climate-resilient future depends fundamentally on reducing greenhouse gas

emissions. Limiting warming to below 2 °C requires transformational technological,

institutional, political and behavioural changes: the foundations for this are laid out in the Paris

Agreement of December 2015. The health sector can lead by example, shifting to

environmentally friendly practices and minimizing its carbon emissions. A climate-resilient

future will increasingly depend on managing and reducing climate change risks to protect

health. In the near term, this can be enhanced by including climate change in national health

programming and creating climate resilient health systems.

Report

Age-friendly environments in Europe. A handbook of domains for

policy action (2017)

This handbook is based on lessons learned from existing age-friendly initiatives in Europe. It

thus builds on the richness of relevant locally and regionally developed tools that are now

available, as well as the latest evidence from research. This publication links actions to create

more age-friendly environments to the broader context of European health and social policies

for ageing populations.

Report

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

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Prescribing and using antibiotics wisely: WHO/Europe launches

online course for clinicians

WHO/Europe has launched a newly developed online course that aims to equip clinicians with

the information they need to prescribe antibiotics appropriately and wisely. This free course,

titled “Antimicrobial stewardship: A competency-based approach”, is available via the

OpenWHO platform. While enrolment is open to anyone, the course is particularly relevant for

clinicians who frequently prescribe antibiotics. The discovery of these life-saving drugs is

among the most important advances of medicine in the 20th century. However, data

increasingly shows widespread misuse of antimicrobials across all health-care settings. This

misuse contributes to the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms, which threaten to

undermine the effectiveness of antibiotics. “Antimicrobial stewardship” refers to interventions

designed to promote the optimal use of antibiotic agents, including drug choice, dosing, route

and duration of administration. In order to preserve the utility of these life-saving drugs and

stop antimicrobial resistance, all clinicians must become stewards of antimicrobials by

prescribing them appropriately and educating their patients and colleagues on the proper use

of this increasingly scarce medical resource.

Access the course

HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2017 - ECDC–WHO

This report presents data on HIV and AIDS in 51 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region,

and in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). Although HIV is

preventable through effective public health measures, significant HIV transmission continues

in Europe, in particular in the eastern part of the Region. In 2016, more than 160 000 people

were diagnosed with HIV, the highest number of people ever newly diagnosed in one year. Of

these, 80% were diagnosed in the eastern part of the Region and 18% in the EU/EEA. The

main transmission mode varied by geographical area, illustrating the diversity in the

epidemiology of HIV in Europe. Sexual transmission between men was the most common

mode in the EU/EEA and transmission through heterosexual contact and injecting drug use

were the main reported transmission modes in the eastern part of the Region. Other findings

indicate that too many people throughout the European Region are diagnosed late, increasing

the risk of ill health, death and onward HIV transmission.

Report

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

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➢ Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD)

Inclusive growth and health

In response to observed growing inequalities in income and other dimensions of well-being,

including health, the OECD launched an initiative on Inclusive Growth in 2012. The objective

was to help governments find ways to make economic growth more inclusive, so that it

translates into meaningful gains in living standards across key dimensions of well-being and

different socioeconomic groups. This paper links health to the overall inclusive growth agenda.

It assesses the two-way relationship between health and socioeconomic factors. An empirical

health production function is specified, using data from 35 OECD countries for the period 1990-

2015. This is complemented by a review of the related empirical literature, as well as

successful policies across OECD countries.

Report

Measuring patient experiences (PREMS): Progress made by the

OECD and its member countries between 2006 and 2016

The OECD has been leading the work on international comparisons of patient-reported

experience measures (PREMs) across its member states for over a decade. This paper

synthesises national developments in relation to measuring and monitoring PREMs between

2006 and 2016 across countries participating in the OECD Health Care Quality Indicator expert

group. This report shows that most OECD countries measure patient experience at a national

level. It also highlights that efforts to measure and report patient-reported measures which

used to be conducted in an ad hoc manner previously, have been institutionalised and

standardised in an increasing number of countries. This national progress has enabled the

international reporting of patient experiences with ambulatory care across 17 OECD countries

in the recent edition of OECD’s flagship publication, Health at a Glance 2017. The scope of

these indicators is currently limited, but recent national progress suggests that there is an

opportunity to expand PREMs data collection in different domains for international reporting.

The OECD plans to continue developing PREMs that would be useful for policy makers, and

help drive improvements in health system performance for health care users, building on the

PREMs work to date undertaken in consultation with countries.

Report

Prevention: how much do OECD countries spend?

OECD countries face the multiple challenges of rapidly ageing societies with the associated

rise in chronic diseases and the ever-present threat from new or evolving communicable

diseases. This is within the context of seeking better value for money from the health sector.

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NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 27 of 36

While a growing body of evidence shows that many health promotion and disease prevention

measures can improve health outcomes at relatively low cost, less has been documented – in

an internationally comparable way – on how much countries actually invest in such activities

and the drivers of prevention spending over the years. This is particularly pertinent in the

context of fiscal sustainability and tight public budgets. Using newly available data from across

OECD countries, this study examines the differences in spending on prevention both at an

aggregate and detailed level. This analysis brings a fresh perspective and raises questions as

to the optimal resource allocations within the sector. Time series data is also scrutinised in

conjunction with collated policy and public health developments from a number of countries to

try to identify some of the drivers behind the observed prevention spending trends. In doing

so, directions for further improvement in the underlying data as well as policy implications are

discussed.

Report

Electronic health record systems: Ready to contribute to national

health information and research

All countries are investing in the development of electronic health (clinical) records, but only

some countries are moving forward the possibility of data extraction for research, statistics and

other uses that serve the public interest. This study reports on the development and use of

data from electronic health records in twenty-eight countries. It reports on the prevalence of

technical and operational factors that support countries in the development of health

information and research programmes from data held within electronic health record systems,

such as data coverage, interoperability and standardisation. It examines data quality

challenges and how some countries are addressing them, and it explores the governance of

electronic health record systems and data, including examples of national statistical and

research uses of data. The report provides an overall assessment of the readiness of countries

to further develop health information from data within electronic health record systems and

describes the outlook for the future. Ten countries are identified as having high readiness that

enables them to develop world-class health information systems supporting health system

quality, efficiency and performance and creates a firm foundation for scientific research and

discovery.

Report

Health expenditures in OECD countries: convergence and

determinants

This study examines the trend and determinants of health expenditures in OECD countries

over the 1975-2004 period. Based on recent developments in the economic growth literature

we propose and test the hypothesis that health care expenditures in countries of similar

economic development level may converge. Authors hypothesise that the main drivers for

growth in health care costs include: aging population, technological progress and health

insurance. The results reveal no evidence that health expenditures among OECD countries

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NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 28 of 36

converge. Nevertheless, there is evidence of convergence among three sub-groups of

countries. The main driver of health expenditure is technological progress. The results also

suggest that health care is a (national) necessity, not a luxury good as some other studies in

this field have found.

Report

➢ Other

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and reimbursement

procedures, analysis in EUnetHTA partner countries: final report

This study analyses existing Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and reimbursement

procedures within EUnetHTA partner countries. It identifies how within their existing

procedures agencies in these countries can:

1. engage in HTA cooperation,

2. use jointly produced HTA information, and

3. re-use national, regional and local HTA information from other jurisdictions.

The study includes procedures for assessing pharmaceuticals and nonpharmaceutical health

technologies in inpatient and outpatient settings. It includes agencies that produce HTAs and

also agencies using HTA type information provided by other parties to support decision-

making.

Report

Exclusion in Europe: Mapping and Understanding – Mental Health

Europe

Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe is a unique study which looks at the state

of mental health services across Europe (35+ countries) and provides exclusive data and

testimonies about European mental health systems, ongoing human rights violations and the

changes on the horizon.

A unique feature of Mapping and Understanding Exclusion is that is the inclusion of the voices

of people who have been forcibly treated. This chapter of the report helps people understand

what coercive measures can do to a person, how isolating those experiences can feel and how

it can impact upon their recovery.

The research was conducted with the help of hundreds of experts from mental health services,

governments, researchers, national organisations, persons with lived experience of psychiatry

and social workers from all over Europe and funded by the Open Society Foundation (OSF)

and MHE’s Operating Grant under the EU Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme.

Report

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

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Making the link: mobile Health (mHealth)

EuroHealthNet

mHealth is referred to as “medical and public health practices supported by mobile devices”.

Mobile devices can now be used to monitor, record, analyse, alerts and communicate health

information to reach people and professionals remotely. It may deliver behavioural

interventions to support individuals to start, reinforce or reduce specific health behaviours.

mHealth has the potential to increase accessibility and to contribute to a more person-focused

healthcare system, support shifts towards prevention, and improve system efficiency. This

issue of Policy Précis takes stock of relevant EU policies and programmes relating to mobile

health (mHealth) and the significance for health inequalities. It also looks at best practice and

how progress can be made.

Article

Integrated care approaches to manage multimorbidity: targeting

people with multiple chronic conditions in Europe

Health Policy, Volume 122, Issue 1, January 2018

In response to the growing populations of people with multiple chronic diseases, new models

of care are currently being developed in European countries to better meet the needs of these

people. This paper aims to describe the occurrence and characteristics of various types of

integrated care practices in European countries that target people with multimorbidity. Data

were analysed from multimorbidity care practices participating in the Innovating care for people

with multiple chronic conditions (ICARE4EU) project, covering all 28 EU Member States,

Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Article

Healthcare personnel statistics: dentists, pharmacists and

physiotherapists

Eurostat

This article presents an overview of EU statistics on dentists, pharmacists and

physiotherapists. It provides information on specialist healthcare personnel, as well as data

pertaining to dentistry and pharmacy graduates. This article is one of a set of statistical articles

concerning healthcare resources in the EU which forms part of an online publication on health

statistics.

Article

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“Integrated Care – Don’t forget about the Mouth”, Council of

European Dentists, Brussels, 29 November 2017

The Council of European Dentists (CED) organised an event “Integrated Care – Don’t forget

about the Mouth” at the European Parliament on 29 November 2017.

For CED, dentists should be part of an integrated care team throughout a patient’s life because

of ageing societies, multi-morbidities, and changing. Integrated care should then include

dentists from the start, both in prevention and treatment. Young children suffering from early

caries show a much higher risk later on for illnesses like diabetes or cardiovascular diseases

while elderly patients’ oral health rapidly decreases once they enter nursing home facilities.

Co-host MEP Nessa Childers stressed the role of appropriate nutrition labelling of food and,

where relevant of medicines, in order to reduce sugar intake.

Co-host and Chairwoman of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee MEP

Adina-Ioana Valean underlined that it is important to raise awareness about integrated care at

the EU and especially at the national level since healthcare is predominantly a Member State

competence.

In 2018, the CED Working Group Oral Health will focus on oral health inequalities and the CED

looks forward to continuing the discussions on integrated care, health systems and reducing

health inequalities

Read more

Access Campaign – European Patients Forum, 6 December 2017

HOPE attended on 6 December 2017 to the presentation in the European Parliament of the

European Patient Forum (EPF) Access campaign.

In the context of its 2017 Campaign on Access to Healthcare, EPF has developed a roadmap

entitled Taking Action – A Roadmap to Achieving Universal Health Coverage for All by

2030.

This roadmap, in line with EPF’s 2017 Campaign on Access to Healthcare, aims to provide EU

and national decision makers with recommendations that need to urgently be considered to

achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all patients in the EU by 2030. It calls on Member

States and the EU to commit to a long-term vision where equity of access and UHC is a reality

for all – a target of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on ensuring health lives.

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While universal health coverage is a well-recognised goal for all healthcare systems in the EU,

this basic right is not yet a reality for all patients in the EU. In this respect, the Roadmap raises

awareness of unmet needs and barriers patients face when accessing healthcare.

This Roadmap is intended mainly for EU and Member State decision and policy-makers and

urges EU institutions and Member States to:

• Recognise that patients everywhere in the EU, regardless of which country they live in

or their country of origin, have the right to equitable access to high-quality care;

• Commit to invest sustainably in healthcare based on outcomes and added value;

• Ensure the delivery of healthcare products and services that are affordable for all,

together with the healthcare industry;

• Enhance cooperation and undertake measures to improve holistic health systems

performance and access to health and related care for patients

• End the discrimination and stigma that patients face and make sure that no population

is excluded.

In this Roadmap, EPF emphasises the importance and need to establish a transparent,

inclusive and collaborative working process for the implementation of UHC and the UN SDGs.

EPF also calls for intersectoral action for health and a fundamental change in Europe’s

approach to healthcare access, to achieve UHC and significantly improve quality of life and

care for patients.

Patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare – European Patients

Forum Roundtable, Brussels, 4 December 2017

HOPE attended on 4 December 2017 in Brussels the roundtable organised by European

Patients Forum (EPF) on the implementation of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare.

The aim was to bring together patient representatives, policymakers and other stakeholders

discuss the state of implementation of the Directive ahead of next year report of

implementation by the Commission. It was also to develop a proposal for a tool to collect

feedback from patients and the patient community for future monitoring of the Directive, on the

functioning of National Contact Points.

The representative of the Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU presented the

conclusions on digitalisation and health to be adopted later that week by the Ministers of health.

The EU mapping study of patients’ rights with a focus on rights relevant to the Directive was

then presented by Willy Palm of the European Observatory on Health systems and policies.

Mentioning as well the State of health initiative of the Commission, he insisted on avoidable

deaths because access or quality is not available. It was followed by a presentation on how

transnationalisation of healthcare in Europe affects patients by Sabina Stan of Dublin City

University.

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NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 32 of 36

Three parallel sessions took place on: information for patients, access and equity and patient

involvement in future monitoring.

Read more

Clinical trials: Belgium and Netherlands invest 6 million euros in

BeNeFIT: a unique international pilot project in health research

The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) and ZonMw, the Netherlands Organisation

for Health Research and Care innovation, signed an agreement on 30 November 2017 to

invest 6 million euros in comparative, practice-oriented clinical studies. The purpose of

BeNeFIT (Belgium-Netherlands Funding of International Trials) is that Belgian and Dutch

institutions carry out non-commercial practice-oriented research which is relevant to patients,

caregivers and policymakers in both countries.

❖ Health care questions relevant to both countries

The effectiveness of existing health care interventions is not yet sufficiently compared in clinical

trials (e.g. comparisons between medication and surgery, operating or not operating).

Moreover, a lot of research is not practice-oriented, so the results are not immediately usable

in daily medical practice. Comparative, practice-oriented studies contribute to better patient

care and more efficient use of public resources. Therefore, in the Netherlands the government

finances such studies through the ZonMw programs ‘Appropriate Medicines Use’ and

‘Efficiency Studies’. In autumn 2015, the Belgian Minister of Public Health, Maggie de Block

gave KCE the mandate to select and fund such comparative effectiveness clinical studies

programme (KCE Trials).

❖ Joint call for proposals in January 2018

In January 2018, both organisations will open a joint call to Belgian and Dutch researchers for

proposals that are relevant to patients, caregivers and policymakers from both countries. This

call will be placed on both websites.

With a maximum budget of 6 million euros, BeNeFIT will fund studies with patients in both

countries, with a good geographic distribution and in Belgium also a good spread over the two

language communities. The final results of the joint and centralised selection process of the

submitted proposals will be published in June 2019.

Read more

‘Shifting to value: transforming Europe Health systems”, Brussels, 6

December 2017.

HOPE attended the conference ‘Shifting to value: transforming Europe Health systems” taking

place in Brussels on 6 December 2017.

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NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 33 of 36

After a Keynote address by Maggie De Block, Minister of Social Affairs and Health of Belgium,

Carl Savage and Pamela Mazzocato (Senior Researchers, Karolinska Institute, Sweden)

presented “What is Value in Healthcare? “

Some experiences were then given around Integrated Care and Outcome Measurement:

➢ Dr. Henk Veeze, Founder and Medical Director, Diabeter – Winner of the 2017 VBHC

Prize, The Netherlands;

➢ Advanced Performance Monitoring and Value-Based Payments in Sweden by Jonas

Wohlin, Chief Executive Officer, Ivbar Institute AB, Sweden;

➢ And the Catalan experience, Ramon Maspons Bosch, Chief Innovation Officer,

Agència Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya, Spain.

The meeting was concluded by presentations of Luke Slawomirski (Health Economist, Health

Division, OECD), Miguel Gonzalez-Sancho (Head of Unit Health & Wellbeing, DG Connect,

European Commission), Dr. Clemens Martin Auer (Director General, Austrian Federal Ministry

of Health), Birgitta Sacrédeus (Chair of Health Committee, Committee of the Regions) and Erik

Jylling (Executive Vice President, Danish Regions).

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HOPE Study Tour - The Danish Way in Quality and Health Care

Copenhagen (Denmark), 10 – 11 April 2018

HOPE organises a study tour in Copenhagen (Denmark) on 10 and 11 April 2018 to present

the Danish way in quality and health care to senior healthcare professionals, managers and

policy makers.

In 2016, Denmark abolished mandatory hospital accreditation and replaced it with a National

Quality Programme. The overall aim of the program is to build a nationwide improvement

culture and to focus the improvement work on the results and experience of health care for the

patients.

Denmark is facing the same challenges as the rest of Europe: An aging population, a dramatic

increase in chronic diseases, and a rise in health expenditure. The Quality Programme is there

for only a part of a wider vision and work to-wards a system change in Danish Health Care:

Population health management, value-based health care, Big Data, Personalized Medicine

and a political obligation to not only deliver health care services but Health to all citizens.

The HOPE Study Tour will provide the participant with an understanding of the current work

and visions for changes in Denmark, and the possibility to discuss the developments with

peers. We will focus on experts exchanging knowledge and experiences in this particular field.

Through the introduction to national programs, challenges and field studies, we expect the 20

to 25 participants to share their own experiences in order to make it a lively and fruitful study

tour.

Registration and agenda

HOPE – European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 35 of 36

9th European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan products

(ECDR) 2018

Vienna (Austria), 10-12 May 2018

The European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE) will be an official partner of the 9th

European Conference on Rare Diseases & Orphan Products (ECRD 2018) to be held at

the Wien Messe Exhibition & Congress Centre in Vienna, Austria from 10 to 12 May 2018.

The ninth edition of this important conference for the rare disease community will be organised

by EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe, a non-profit alliance of over 700 rare disease patient

organisations from more than 60 countries that work together to improve the lives of the 30

million people living with a rare disease in Europe.

ECRD 2018 will be supported by the EU Public Health Programme and AFM-Telethon.

The conference is estimated to gather over 800 participants: patient representatives,

academics, health care professionals, industry, payers, regulators and policy makers.

The overarching theme of ECRD 2018 is: Rare Diseases 360° - Collaborative strategies to

leave no one behind.

This theme symbolises the global scope of the topics to be discussed during the conference

(research, diagnosis, product pathways to patients, the impact of the digital environment,

quality of life, sustainability of health care systems and international policy).

For more information please visit EURORDIS- Rare Diseases Europe website.

18th International conference on Integrated Care - “Value for People

and Populations: Investing in Integrated Care”

Utrecht (Netherlands), 23 – 25 May 2018

HOPE joins the organisation of the 18th International conference on Integrated Care “Value

for People and Populations: Investing in Integrated Care”. The event is organised by the

International Foundation of Integrated Care (IFIC) in partnership with RIVM and Vilans and will

take place in the NBC Congrescentrum, Utrecht, Netherlands 23 – 25 May 2018.

The conference will bring together researchers, clinicians and managers from around the

world who are engaged in the design and delivery of integrated health and social care. They

shared experience and the latest evidence about integrating Public Health, Health and Social

Care and the New roles and Possibilities for Hospitals, producing Positive and Curative

Integrated Mental and Physical Care, mobilising key enablers like policy making and Mobile

and Digital Health Solutions, and investment in an Integrated Care Workforce, clinical

leadership and coproduction with individuals, careers, communities and populations.

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NEWSLETTER N° 154 – January Page 36 of 36

The Integrated Care Academy© Award for Best Paper and Posters will be presented at the

conference. All papers presented as oral presentations or posters at the conference will be

published in the International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC).

More

HOPE Agora 2018

Stockholm (Sweden), 3-5 June 2018

The HOPE Agora 2018 will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from 3 to 5 June 2018. The Agora

closes the HOPE Exchange Programme for healthcare professionals and next year will be

around the topic “Improving the quality of healthcare using the experiences and competencies

of patients: Are we ready?”

More information on the HOPE Exchange Programme and the HOPE Agora 2018 will be made

available here.

26th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and

Health Services

Bologna (Italy), 6-8 June 2018

The annual International Conference on Health Promoting hospitals and Health Services

(HPH) is the main event of the international HPH network. It is a forum of learning and

exchange on health promotion in and by health services for health practitioners, consultants,

scientists and politicians and hosts 500 delegates on average every year.

The 2018 edition will be held in Bologna (Italy) from 6 to 8 June 2018 and will focus on the

main theme “Health promotion strategies to achieve change: evidence-based policies and

practices”.