EUHA Steering Committee members and Secretariat met at the Universitätsklinikum AKH Wien on the 30th of September. During the meeting, they reviewed the implementation of EUHA’s strategic plan and a new communication strategy and discussed how university hospitals are addressing workforce pressures.
EUHA’s Strategic Activities
The meeting was opened by Herwig Wetzlinger, the CEO of AKH Wien and EUHA’s current president. Dipl.-Ing. Wetzlinger welcomed the participants and encouraged them to engage in a rich and fruitful discussion about EUHA’s strategic activities and progress.
The Steering Committee members and EUHA’s Secretariat reviewed the implementation of the strategic plan. To do so, each Steering Committee member reported on the progress and development of EUHA’s strategic working groups and networks coordinated by their home institution. Within the EUCCAT (European Centre for Cellular Cancer Therapies) initiative, the first joint clinical trial started earlier this year between Erasmus MC, Charité and AP-HP. The LIVE (Learning in Value) working group reported on progress in the H2O project with the establishment of outcomes observatories in Spain, the Netherlands and Austria. The RRI (Responsible Research and Innovation) working group could report that, following various educational activities, the EUHA members have tremendously improved their reporting of academic clinical trials.
A Sustainable Health Workforce
Throughout Europe, the health care sector has been struggling to meet the demand for care due to a lack of staff. There have been pressures for years, but particularly after the COVID crisis, the lack of staff has increased rapidly. Following the Members’ Assembly in Leuven, EUHA’s Steering Committee has been assessing the situation among its members in Europe and looking at potential EUHA actions. During the meeting, the responsible colleagues presented the preliminary results of a baseline study for which over 30 EUHA colleagues with clinical, nursing, HR and innovation backgrounds have been interviewed. They also presented various approaches to improve recruitment, retainment and other innovative solutions that EUHA members have implemented.
EUHA Communications
Finally, to promote EUHA’s strategic objectives, raise awareness, empower EUHA staff, and connect with relevant stakeholders, EUHA is strengthening its communication efforts. For this reason, EUHA recently employed a new staff member, Miss Martina Garriga. She will be working with EUHA members to increase awareness about EUHA’s work and ensure that interested colleagues and professionals can interact.