Health and Social Services, Social Services
Health and Social Services (HSS) is a large and diverse sector that encompasses a wide range of services including hospitals, child care, community health services, social work and care homes for older and disabled people. EPSU represents health and social services workers across Europe, including nurses, health care assistants, midwives, doctors, elderly and child care workers, social workers, laboratory staff, hospital cleaners and medical secretaries. We organise in public, non-for-profit and private services.
EPSU is the recognised European social partner organisation for workers in the hospital and health care sector throughout the European Union.
Adam Rogalewski is the EPSU Policy Officer for the sector. The President of the EPSU Standing Committee for Health and Social Services is Kirsi Sillanpää of TEHY (Finland) and the Vice-Presidents are Yolanda Gil of CC.OO (Spain), Dietmar Erdmeier of Ver.di (Germany), and Razvan Gae of Sanitas (Romania). You can also get their contact details here.
EPSU expert group discusses Occupational Safety and Health in HSS
The group discussed recent developments on worker protection in the EU and beyond, an interactive risk assessment tool in healthcare, and the revisions of directives on Carcinogens and Mutagens and Reprotoxins (CMRD 5) and asbestos.
EPSU meets with Commissioner Kyriakides on staff shortages in the health and care sectors
EPSU recently held a productive discussion with European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, to tackle the critical staff shortages facing healthcare and care workers in Europe.
More support needed for health, care, and public service workers in new Mental Health Strategy
EPSU welcomes the European Commission’s proposed Mental Health Strategy but cautions that the strategy cannot achieve its goals without directly addressing the serious problems already facing the workers who will be instrumental in its implementation.
EPSU launches Care4Care policy lunch series
Over the coming weeks and months EPSU will be hosting, participating in and co-organising a series of events and seminars to explain our position on the care sector and to provide a voice to our millions of members in the care sector in public, not-for-profit and private facilities.
New ETUI publication - Beyond economic growth: The role of trade unions in the transition to well-being
A further contribution to the ‘beyond growth’ or ‘post-growth’ debates, the recent ETUI working paper sets out the case against the pursuit of undifferentiated economic growth and advocates substantial changes to European economies.
International Nurses Day 2023: fed up nurses call for higher pay and safe staffing
As we celebrate International Nurses Day on 12 May, we honour the immense contributions of nurses in our society. Although the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us, we must never forget the bravery demonstrated by nurses throughout the crisis.
“Why is upskilling and reskilling so important for LTC workers? What impact does it have on quality?”
Last week, EPSU participated in the online launch event of the ‘Partnership for Skills in Long Term Care – Driving Up Training and Life Long Learning’, organised by the project lead, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities.
World Health Day 2023: workers call for urgent action to improve working conditions
On World Health Day 2023, health and social care workers represented by the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) call for urgent action to improve working conditions, reminding policymakers that there is no healthcare without healthcare workers.