Hosted by the German Hospital Federation, HOSPAGE “Ageing health workforce ‐ ageing patients. Multiple challenges for hospitals in Europe”, was the high level conference organised in Berlin on 12 June 2012 as part of the HOPE Agora and the HOPE Exchange Programme 2012. The topic has gained a partcular relevance in the last years: the European Commission released in April 2012 an Action Plan in order to tackle the challenges linked to this trend around the European Innovative Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing; the WHO European Observatory on health systems and policies also published a number of studies on the topic. The event therefore gathered several hundred of participants at an optimal time.

Georg Baum, President of HOPE and Chief Executive of the German Hospital Federation, welcomed Daniel Bahr, the German Minister of Health, followed by a video message of John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health. Recognising the importance of the event and relevance of the topic, speakers highlighted the need of learning from each other, foster innovation, improve prevention and workforce planning.

Conference keynotes were delivered by Rita Süssmuth, former President of the German Parliament, and by Josep Figueras, director of the WHO European Observatory on health systems and policies.

In the panel discussion that followed, Georg Baum, Maria Iglesia Gomez from the European Commission, Evert Jan van Lente representing the European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP) and Anders Olauson, President of the European Patients’ Forum (EPF), exchanged views on these future trends, how to face changes, and views on the European Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing that the latter had promoted.

For more information on and presentations of HOSPAGE click here

Download here the HOPE report on “Ageing health workforce ‐ ageing patients. Multiple challenges for hospitals in Europe”