Policy Dialogues on investing in Europe’s health workforce of

tomorrow: scope for innovation and collaboration

Discussing possibilities for EU actionin the field of Human resources for health

Leuven, Belgium, 26-30 April 2010

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Assessing future health workforce needs – Possible action at EU level

• Support Member States in– Raising the need for integrated HRH planning– Mapping/reviewing skills and competence profiles needed for the future– Developing integrated planning methodologies– sharing good practice of innovative HRH forecasting tools including future

needs assessment

• Set up supporting mechanism on workforce planning– Create an observatory function

(within existing structures/ new structure)– Build a European network of health workforce planners

(cf. EUNEHTA)

• Improve qualitative and comparable data– Set out basic requirements for building HRH information systems– Propose a minimum HRH information dataset?– Investigate the relevance of cross-border collaboration in this field

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Adapting skills and lifelong learning– Possible action at EU level

• Facilitate exchange of best practice on tasks and competence profiles of different types of health professions

• Target EU programmes and initiatives to help MS equip people with the necessary skills

– Use of structural funds for retraining– New skills for new jobs flagship initiative (EU2020)

• Promote and preserve CPD in a context of financial crisis– Role of the employer in lifelong learning (social dialogue)– System of mutual recognition of credit points

• Promote and facilitate cross-national learning initatives (Educational exchange programmes, e-learning)

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Creating a supportive working environment – Possible action at EU level

• Mapping EU action on working environment (e.g. European Observatory on Working Conditions)

• Encourage social dialogue in the health and care sectors (prevention of needle stick injuries, retention and recruitment)

• Explore elements and factors that contribute to a supportive working environment

– Occupational health and safety– Working time– Better work-life balance– Adaptation for elder workers– Gender