(5 May 2011) Assessing changing skill needs in the hospital sector is an area of crucial concern as countries strive to reform and improve the performance of their health services. Work in the hospital sector revolves around effective patient care and is very labour intensive. The workforce in the hospital sector is particularly complex with many different professional groups with distinct roles and their own educational and regulatory structures.

The new challenges brought about by recent health care reforms appear to require on the one hand a more holistic approach, brining together the skills of different professional groups, and in other areas greater specialisation and an adaptation of skills to new technologies and medical advances.

As a result, it is likely that some roles will expand to incorporate additional responsibilities while others will be entirely new. The hospital sector needs to develop training and development programmes for hospital professionals and workers in order to meet these new requirements.

In 2006 the European Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Hospital Employers’ Association (HOSPEEM) therefore had commissioned a report on training initiatives in the hospital sector. Its publication coincided with the formalisation of the EU-level social dialogue in the hospital sector.

The study commissioned aims at analysing how the social partners in the hospital sector have addressed the issue of meeting new skill needs and the adaptation of existing job profiles to deal with the new challenges and requirements facing the sector in Europe.

There are several challenges to be faced in the health care sector accross Europe.
• Firstly, the economic pressures to enhance effectiveness of the hospitals and health sector as such, as well as quality of service.
• Secondly, the concept and role of health care has evolved now embracing home care and bringing care closer to patients’ homes.
• Thirdly, the constant technological progress and medical advances require constant upskilling of the staff and often reorganisation of work as a result of technical improvements.
• Fourthly, the demographic changes in the European societies, namely ageing, resulted in staff and skill shortages across the health care sector, including hospitals.
• Fifthly, regulatory developments, such as the Working Time Directive and the Directive for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications.

Section 3 looks closer into these economic factors, social change, technological progress and medical advances, demographic trends and regulatory / political developments, the challenges this creates in terms of skill development and how these different framework conditions impact on the health care workforce and human resource management and their development in the sector.

New trends and developments have led to skill shortages as well as the need for new skills. In section 4 the report outlines how the hospital sector in some countries has responded to meet the challenges mentioned above. Issues covered are
• workforce planning
• cross-border recruitment
• upgrading competencies, recognising skills and redefining roles.

Chapter 5 is devoted to national experiences, models, policies, etc.

Finally the report looks into the role of social dialogue to identify, promote and negotiate successful initiatives, programmes or policies in the field of skills development, professional qualification, continued professional development.

EPSU-HOSPEEM Study (2006) “Identifying Successful Training Initiatives in the Hospital Sector"