Bringing regions together for better health
|
|
|
EUREGHA NEWSLETTER
Issue no. 59: April - July
|
|
|
Dear reader,
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our work and priorities, we are very happy to provide you with insights on EUREGHA''s main activities during the previous three months. In this newsletter, you may find our work related to the pandemic and beyond.
We invite you to share this newsletter in your network and further disseminate our mission to ensure #HealthinAllRegions.
|
|
|
|
|
The EUREGHA Secretariat maintained close contact with its member regions throughout all phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was more clear than ever that information-sharing is pivotal during these times. To shed a light on good practices and actions undertaken by our members, we collected their work and experiences and bundled the information into the #RegionsAgainstCovid19 campaign.
All in all, seven different news articles were published and we reached over 5000 people who read, engaged and shared our content on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. As the COVID-19 outbreak is an evolving topic, we encourage you to join the discussion or share your regional example via the EUREGHA social media platforms by referring to #RegionsAgainstCovid19.
|
|
#1- The Flemish Community fights Fake News
In Belgium, 75% of citizens find their facts about healthcare online. It is important to understand that not all the data portrayed on the internet is based on scientific research as this could potentially even comprise false information. This kind of misinformation can lead to fear, speculation and mental stress. Especially in light of the current threat posed by Covid-19, it is important that citizens can have continuous access to reliable information and sources.
To tackle this exact issue, the Flemish Community (BE) launched a dedicated webpage on Covid-19 on www.gezondheidenwetenschap.be.
Find the full article here.
|
|
#2- NHS Near Me, the Scottish tool to visit a GP in times of self-isolation
Regions and local health authorities are working around the clock to find innovative solutions in providing qualitative healthcare while facing one of the biggest health threats of all times. But especially now it is important not to forget about the other patients. Lock downs, travel restrictions and maintaining a social distance make it hard for patients to visit their General Practitioners (GP's). As people still need to receive the right medical care when they are in isolation, they can have a digital consultation with their GP.
NHS Near Me is a video consulting service that facilitates patients to conduct medical appointments from home via a device with an internet connection. The website is empowered by the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland and aligns with the Scottish Government Technology Enabled Care (TEC) programme.
Find the full article here.
|
|
#3- The Catalan Health System uses data analytics to manage Covid-19
It is safe to say that the Covid-19 outbreak tests the response of European healthcare systems in terms of their availability of health care professionals, resources and facilities. According to EUREGHA member Catalonia's Department of Health one of the most obvious impacts of the issue is that every decision to manage the pandemic must be made under the burden of uncertainty.
Updated SARS-CoV-2 data can be of great help to identify, monitor and make predictions about the evolution of the pandemic and to design strategies that can contain the virus spread. It furthermore proves which areas are most affected and where the allocation of resources may be a priority.
Find the other initiatives of The Catalan Health System here.
|
|
#4 - Tuscany Region: Prevention, control and treatment
The answer of Tuscany to fight the Covid-19 emergency includes a series of integrated measures for prevention, control, and treatment purposes. This article outlines the steps taken on the local level. It all evolves around having:
- An information point for citizens, workers, business, and insitutitions;
- Widespread distribution of personal safety devices and mass screening;
- Digital innovation for movements and contact reduction;
- The response of the Regional Health Service to the emergency.
Find the full overview here.
|
|
#5- Sk?ne: Do you want to help out?
The Covid-19 outbreak has exposed an already strained health care system due to an urgent shortage of health care personnel. At the same time, many talented people and companies are contacting health care authorities to offer their services in these difficult times. Region Sk?ne has therefore set up a dedicated website, "Do you want to help out?", where anyone who would like to participate in the work to combat Covid-19 in Sk?ne can now register.
Find the full article and outcomes here.
|
|
#6- The 1450 health advice hotline in Lower Austria
From one day to the next, normality in (Lower) Austria changed drastically. From the beginning of March, harsh restrictions on individual movement, in some regions quarantine, mandatory closings of businesses under the guiding principle of "social distancing" were put into place to mitigate the spreading of the coronavirus and to "flatten the curve". All the actions are taken to ensure the functionality of the health care system. To manage the Covid-19 outbreak, the information for citizens who felt ill had to be structured in a secure and quick way.
Find a thorough explanation of how Lower Austria managed the hotline here.
|
|
#7- Apulia puts in place high-level and smart healthcare solutions to manage the pandemic
Apulia has put in place multi-level approaches to deal with the current pandemic. The region works with high-level and smart digital healthcare solutions based on epidemiological surveillance and epidemiology for assistance. This article will outline four of those intelligent solutions.
Find them here.
|
|
The EU Health Coalition calls for more solidarity and coordinated EU action to tackle COVID-19
3 April 2020
The EU Health Coalition has published a statement on the need for a cross-border, coordinated, collaborative response from the European Union to COVID-19. It highlights that during the outbreak, we will learn lessons together on prevention, preparedness, cross-border cooperation, health system responsiveness and resilience, political leadership, an innovative environment in Europe, and the importance of a healthy population to a healthy economy.
Find the full statement here.
|
|
|
EU Emergency Assistance in Cross-border Cooperation in Healthcare
8 April 2020
EUREGHA welcomed the European Commission''s Guidelines on EU Emergency Assistance in Cross-border Cooperation in healthcare related to the COVID-19 crisis. Find the full communication here
Find more information here.
|
|
|
EUREGHA''s response to the Europe''s Beating Cancer Plan
29 May 2020
We are happy to share EUREGHA's contribution to the public consultation on Europe's Beating Cancer Plan launched by the European Commission. By sending its position on the next cancer plan, EUREGHA makes sure that the Commission considers the importance of having an integrated care approach in any future steps in cancer care.
Find the response here.
|
|
|
EUREGHA joins PACT and endorses statement on COVID-19
2 June 2020
During the Covid-19 crisis, it became apparent that health stakeholders need to work together to ensure that the principle of "leaving no-one behind" will be increasingly prioritized in any future crises. Therefore, we are happy to announce that EUREGHA has recently joined the Patient Access Partnership (PACT). EUREGHA is happy to support the workstreams of the PACT Steering Committee by embedding the regional perspective into the discussion.
On May 27, the European Parliament Interest Group on Equitable Access to Healthcare and PACT have issued a Joint Statement on Covid-19. This statement was welcomed by 58 Members of the European Parliament.
Find the full article and joint statement here.
|
|
|
EUREGHA General Assembly
17 June 2020
On 17 June, the EUREGHA Secretariat hosted online the General Assembly. Over the previous years, EUREGHA has made a lot of progressions and was able to improve its visibility and better position itself in the EU arena. We were happy to share information about the developments of the network and were delighted to see that so many members tuned in to exchange views on EUREGHA's work.
Find all information here.
|
|
|
EUREGHA Activity Report 2019
17 June 2020
On top of the General Assembly, we are proud to release the Activity Report of 2019. We kindly invite you to take a look at the report to see which activities were undertaken. This report guides you through the growth of EUREGHA by introducing new members and partnerships. It furthermore explains how the policy cycles helped the network to ensure better #HealthinAllRegions.
|
|
|
Renewal of the Interregional Group on Health and Wellbeing
2 July 2020
In July, the European Committee of the Regions Interregional Group on Health and Wellbeing was renewed and EUREGHA will act as the Secretariat of the group for another term. The CoR Interregional Groups are platforms to exchange views and create new ideas among local and regional health authorities in the Member States and beyond on a variety of issues.
The Interregional Group on Health and Well-being was set up in 2010 to enable all members and alternate members of the CoR to debate openly and share viewpoints on EU policy issues related to healthcare and public health. The interregional group also seeks to enhance the dialogue with other EU institutions. The new term will last from 2020 until 2025.
Find all information and outcomes of the Constitutive Meeting held in July here.
|
|
|
|
EU HEALTH NEWS IN A FLASH
|
|
|
EURIPHI
The EURIPHI Project is soon coming to an end and on 23 June the last project meeting was held, aiming to present the main outcomes and results of the project. You may find the outcomes of the meeting here. As the project was delayed for one month due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the final dissemination event was held in July. The results of the project will be published on the EURIPHI website.
|
|
|
|
Find an overview of all the events here
|
|
|
CATCHING UP WITH OUR MEMBERS
|
|
|
NORTHERN IRELAND
Elaine Colgan
Head of EU Engagement, Department of Health Northern Ireland
For this edition of the EUREGHA newsletter, we had a brief conversation with Elaine Colgan who is working for Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland joined EUREGHA in December 2019 and proved to be actively involved ever since.
|
|
|
Could you tell us a bit more about your organization/region and what is your role in the organization?
I head up the EU Engagement Branch within the Department of Health for Northern Ireland. My responsibilities include:-
- Identifying collaborative opportunities between Northern Ireland with other EU regions;
- Promoting the availability of EU funding across the Health and Social Care (HSC) within Northern Ireland;
- Showcasing Northern Ireland's successes on the EU stage; and
- Monitoring and governance of the Interreg VA Structural Funds cross border Programme with Ireland and Scotland and planning for its successor Programme, Peace Plus.
What are the main healthcare priorities of Northern Ireland? How has this changed over the previous years?
The main healthcare priorities for NI are:
- Encouraging people to keep well and where appropriate take control of their own health;
- Ensuring that safe, high quality care is available at point of need; delivered by those who are empowered and supported to do what they do best; and
- Delivering services that are efficient and sustainable.
These priorities were published in 2016 in our 10 year transformational strategy 'Health and Wellbeing 2026, Delivering Together'. Digital transformation initiatives are a key enabler to this. Our "Encompass" programme will introduce a unified digital health and care record for all our citizens. This will improve patient safety and health outcomes by working more effectively and efficiently.
Do you think the priorities from Northern Ireland are different from any other members, or do you find points of convergence?
Northern Ireland shares many of the same healthcare challenges as other Member States - an ageing population, the need to find sustainable ways of delivering health and care services - and of course now, rebuilding our services in the wake of the pandemic. Key to our success in moving forward will be our ability to combine the benefits of regional transformations with new innovations. There is an opportunity for us to learn from one another as we work to address our collective priorities.
Is your region involved in (EU Funded) projects? If so, would you like to share with the other members a project that you consider of utmost importance for your region?
Northern Ireland is involved in the cross-border INTERREG VA programme (2014 to 2020) which also includes Ireland and Scotland. The projects funded focus on developments to support enhanced cross-border working. The value of the health strand of the Programme is ?62m. Northern Ireland is also engaged in planning for the PEACE Plus programme 2021-27, the successor programme to INTERREG VA.
Within the past months, major changes took place, such as Brexit. This has an impact on for instance the healthcare systems. How has this changed the priorities and way of working for your organization/region?
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another EU Member State. To ensure all health and social care organisations are prepared for the change, Northern Ireland has published an EU Exit Operational Readiness Guidance document.
The Covid-19 pandemic reshuffled healthcare systems all over the world. How was the overall experience of Northern Ireland during this outbreak, and which lessons were learned?
The Covid-19 pandemic has delivered a profound shock across the globe.
At Department of Health level there have been redeployments of staff and changes of responsibilities to mean the challenge. My team and I are all redeployed into Covid-19 areas of work and are likely to remain there for the rest of this year at least.
I believe Northern Ireland has risen to the challenges well, and the data on the path of Covid-19 here supports that. We launched a number of new initiatives during the pandemic such as an app dedicated to providing the public with immediate advice and links to trusted information, a network of new Primary Care Covid-19 centres established to manage infected cases in the community and a test, track and trace programme. The flexibility and speed with which these were put in place is a testimony to the dedication of all involved.
Northern Ireland became a member of EUREGHA more than six months ago, what is your first expression of the organisation. What is most beneficial?
First impressions are very good and I believe that EUREGHA has the potential to encourage excellent collaborative working in the development of future innovative solutions to healthcare challenges. I look forward to working further with the organisation and its partner regions.
Collaboration between members is crucial and helpful. Is there any specific topic or action you would like to raise to call for future collaboration between your organization and EUREGHA or EUREGHA members?
I think there will soon be an opportunity to examine our respective responses to Covid-19 and see where we can continue to learn from one another in this area.
And last but not least; could you describe EUREGHA in one sentence?
As an enabler of collaboration which will enable us to do more together.
|
|
|
|
Text Box
Arts and Entertainment
Business and Industry
Computer and Electronics
Games
Health
Internet and Telecom
Shopping
Sports
Travel
More