5.A. Workshop: Transforming health and care systems - building a European Partnership under Horizon Europe

Abstract

Health and care systems have been facing increasing challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that improvements are urgently needed to reach high quality, efficient, accessible, health promoting, people-centred, resilient, health and care systems for all EU citizens. The workshop will be built around the preparations for a proposed EU Partnership on Transforming health and care systems as part of the new Horizon Europe Programme. In a first presentation, the Partnership will be clarified in more detail, including its main objectives to be achieved by 2030. The presentation will also share the outcomes of a consultation process among European stakeholders, among others involving decision makers and research funding bodies to identify common goals and priorities, which will feed into a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. Second, the work of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (EXPH) will be presented, and in particular its Opinion on the Organisation of Resilient Health and Social Care Following the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of its main recommendations has been the need for investment in the development and implementation of health systems data collection methodologies to generate meaningful, actionable results for health system transformation. Similarly, it is important to establish corresponding learning communities within and across Member States to share lessons learned through this process. What does this mean for a future Partnership and what should be its priorities? As third presentation, the Partnership is evaluated from the context of the EU Presidency by Slovenia in the second half of 2021. What are the goals of the EU Presidency and how can a Partnership facilitate alignment with the overall EU political ambition to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable health and care systems? The last element also opens the floor to workshop participants. What health systems research pirorities are key to address from their perspectives and how would workshop audiences prefer to enhance synergies between EU and national level initiatives, including those from within the EPH conference community.Key messages An EU Partnership can help transform health and care systems to become more sustainable, efficient and resilient.Consultation of workshop participants is key to identify synergies at EU and national level and specific priority areas within such a Horizon Europe Partnership.