On Wednesday 13th of March 2019, the Final Conference of the Horizon2020 project SUSTAIN - “Sustainable Tailored Integrated Care for Older People in Europe” took place at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels (Belgium). The programme of the conference covered the SUSTAIN project all its aspects and was enriched by contributions from high-level external speakers, including EHMA Board Member and SIG Chair Axel Kaehne (Edge Hill University). The final event, in particular, focused on the research carried out within the SUSTAIN framework; the integrated care sites which took part in the project; and the achieved results and project outcomes, including the SUSTAIN Roadmap for Integrated Care. The final conference was also live-streamed, and a live-tweet coverage of the event took place with the hashtag #SUSTAINeu.

In case you missed the event, or want to relive the conference again, you can have a look at the photographs and video recording of the day. An event report is also available clicking on the link below.

From 2015 to 2019, the SUSTAIN project worked with local stakeholders from thirteen initiatives (sites) in seven countries towards improving integrated care implementation. Findings, key learnings, case stories and tools to provide a roadmap for improving integrated care. 
The document has a range of resources in the form of guides for implementation, improvement, design and engagement of stakeholders in system-wide transformation. All these resources aim to support health and social care professionals, managers, decision-makers, policy-makers and even users or their families to respond to the urgent need to support care in the home environment to better meet the needs of older people.

To download the full SUSTAIN roadmap, please follow this link or click on the image above.

EHMA SUMMER WORKSHOP ON PRIMARY CARE :
THE CASAP EXPERIENCE
A new form of primary care organization  
 

In the Astana conference, the WHO recently set the role of primary care and its relevance as a key stone for the whole healthcare system. This leads to ponder to which extent each country’s primary care services can fully, or even partially, address issues and problems in communities. Different primary care models have already evolved in Western countries, even related to a national health service model. Nevertheless, continuation of solo practices and/or doctor centred services are at stake. Where should primary care be heading to? How can we do this?

If you are ready to:

• Be exposed to new perspectives on primary care management and reconfiguration?
• Share perspectives with other professionals?
• Learn from the experiences of an international group of academics and experts?
• Analyse current significant managerial issues, by discussing cases from different countries and different legal and cultural settings?
• Create new contacts and join an international network of people sharing interest in primary care management 

WHO today released new recommendations on 10 ways that countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and essential services.

“Harnessing the power of digital technologies is essential for achieving universal health coverage,” says WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Ultimately, digital technologies are not ends in themselves; they are vital tools to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.”

Over the past two years, WHO systematically reviewed evidence on digital technologies and consulted with experts from around the world to produce recommendations on some key ways such tools may be used for maximum impact on health systems and people’s health.

To read the full article, please find a link here.

EHMA is glad to share with you the recently released first issue of the MULTI-ACT Project newsletter. MULTI-ACT (www.multi-act.eu) is one of the most recent EU funded actions joined by EHMA and it aims to increase the impact of health research on people with brain diseases. It will create and implement a new model allowing for the effective cooperation of all relevant stakeholders. This will be applicable in defining the scope of health research as well as new metrics for the evaluation of its results. Over three years, the MULTI-ACT project will work with patients and patient organizations, academics, private and public stakeholders to develop brand new tools to assess the value of research.

If you want to know more, check out the first issue of the project newsletter covering the first months of activities, including seminars, project meetings and interviews with project partners, also available on the MULTI-ACT YouTube Channel. 

Get the latest news about MULTI-ACT directly in your inbox subscribing to the project newsletter mailing list by clicking on the button below.

To illustrate the European added value achieved so far in the area of health, the Coordinators of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) requested a study on the benefit of EU action in health.
The study covers in particular the benefits of EU action in the following sectors: the EU Health Programme; cross-border healthcare; pharmaceuticals regulation; medical devices; prevention and vaccination.

Maastricht Summer School's mission is to offer education in the summer period that is complementary to the traditional educational tasks of the university. The Summer School increases accessibility of knowledge accumulated at the institute to anyone interested in it.
Please click here for the 2019 course overview.
Application deadline is June 1, 2019, do not miss it and apply online on this link.