EPSU meets with Swedish health minister to discuss safe staffing

EPSU delegation meeting with Swedish Health Minister, 16 May 2023

(16 May 2023) A delegation of EPSU met the Swedish health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson who is holding the EU Presidency. We discussed the problems across Europe with safe staffing as most recently underlined by the WHO Bucharest declaration on health and care workforce. It is important for the Council of Ministers and the European Commission to discuss this with the social partners. Staffing is important when addressing Mental Health. The unions are concerned that the European Commission is not addressing this in its forthcoming Mental Health Strategy. We underlined the importance of European legislation to address psycho-social risks.  Lastly, we addressed the proposals of the European Commission for a European Health Data Space. The proposals are overly ambitious, risk opening health care for commercialisation, ignore staffing,  privacy and data protection issues. An opt-in approach will create more confidence than forcing everyone to be part.

The delegation was composed on EPSU Executive Committee members from Sweden Sineva Ribeiro (Vardforbundet) and Barbro Andersson (Kommunal), and Sonia Koppen (Vision) and Fredrik Hjulstrom (Akademiker SSR), EPSU General Secretary and Adam Rogalewski, responsible for health and care in EPSU. It took place 16 May 2023, Stockholm

For the Bucharest Declaration on health and care workforce 

EPSU on staffing (World Health Day 2023)

European Health Data Space

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