Section I. 1Annex 1b

Internal risks and contingency planning

Internal Risks:

• 
  Change in key personnel among AP and task leaders
  

These risks will be reduced through:

• 
  Continuous monitoring of changes over the three year period in order to ensure the rapid integration of new staff, when needed.
  
• 
  Continuous communication within WP6 on the progress of task solving will keep the WP Leader and all APs updated, and a possible delay in delivering work can be predicted early and accounted for
  

• 
  Delay in reporting by APs:
  
  • 
    Early development of a strategy to require preliminary reporting 30 days prior to final reporting date.
    
  • 
    Continuous communication with the Coordinator of the JA to look for solutions involving the EB if necessary
    
  • 
    A separate consortium agreement (standard operating procedures, SOP) will be developed for signature by all the APs of the JA to detail the responsibilities and repercussions of not performing according to the agreed upon division of responsibilities.
    

• 
  Procedures in case of the withdrawal of a partner will be as follows: A partner who wants to withdraw its participation shall contact the WP Leader before announcing its decision. A special audience will be set up between the WP Leader, the Coordinator and the partner in order to make sure that all other options have been exhausted and to explore any solution to maintain this partner’s contribution including discussions with the European representative for public health programs of the country concerned. Information will be sent to the EAHC.
  

External Risk:

• 
  Financial or management crisis in one of the AP organisations:
  
  • 
    Strong central coordination with assistance of the WP leaders, good internal communication and distribution of tasks among partner organisations should contain the risk of disturbance.
    
  • 
    Most partners have participated in previous EU funded projects and many may substitute each other where appropriate.
    
  • 
    Most APs are public bodies that can handle rapid crisis management and can access extra human resources, if needed.
    
  • 
    Continuous communication with the Coordinator to look for solutions involving the EB if necessary
    

Impact evaluation

• 
  Number of MS/regions answering the questionnaire
  
• 
  Number of organizations (global, by MS and regions) fulfilling all the aspects defined in the QMS framework.
  
• 
  Number of organizations having expressed perceived needs
  
• 
  Number of organizations provided with suitable response to their perceived needs
  
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  Number of MS actively participating in the exchange mechanism. Participation means having provided or/and requested GOP
  
• 
  Number of organizations using the wiki platform
  
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  Number of GOPs accessible via web tool
  
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  Number of GOPs selected for exchange mechanism accessible via web tool
  
• 
  Number of organizations participating in the visits (visiting or hosting)
  

Availability of GOPs information will be assessed by WP3 via the web platform.

Information on participation in the exchange mechanisms will be collected in cooperation between WP4 and WP6 and the NCP. The information will be collected during the exchange mechanism, through a questionnaire, available in English. The questionnaire will be handed out by the host of the activity and is to be returned during the exchange mechanism. The questionnaire will be developed in cooperation with WPs 2, 3, 4 and 6. Data management and analysis will be performed by WP3.

Work Package 7: Network Sustainability

Leader: Ministry of Health (SKMoH), Slovakia
Associated partners

In addition to SKMoH as WP Leader, 12 APs are involved in WP7.

Table 11: WP7 APs

Country	Acronym	Organisation
Croatia	AQAH	Agency for Quality and Accreditation in Health Care and Social Welfare
Denmark	DSPS	Danish Society for Patient Safety
France	HAS	Haute Autorité de Santé
Germany	AQuMed	German Agency for Quality in Medicine
Greece	NKUA	National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Latvia	REUH	Riga East University Hospital
Lithuania	VASPVT	State Health Care Accreditation Agency
Slovakia	HCSA	Health Care Surveillance Authority
Spain	MSSSI	Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality
EC	EFN	European Federation of Nurses Associations
EC	EPF	European Patients’ Forum
EC	HOPE	European Hospital and Healthcare Federation

Budget

Total WP budget is 700 000 €

Focus and objective

The long-term aim of the JA is to support sustained collaboration to establish learning mechanisms among MS and relevant EU stakeholders. We will examine drivers and barriers, identify and contact the main stakeholders in MS and target groups (health professionals, patients) which are: involved in PS and QC topics; responsible for monitoring PS adverse events in HCOs; managing the process of improvement of PS and quality of healthcare services; assessing and controlling PS and QC ; cooperating on legislative measures to implement EU requirements regarding PS and QC; responsible for implementation international guide lines, protocols and pathways connected to non communicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, neurological…) and finding solutions for improving the PS and QC by this cases; responsible for licensing and accreditation of HCOs.

During the work we intend to: address sustained cooperation in each segment of PS and QC (use of PS and QC indicators, learning mechanism, rapid alert mechanism; peer review of PS and QC improvement systems);develop a sustainable EU network of relevant MS institutions for voluntary collaboration on PS and QC involving key EU stakeholders and patient organisations; prepare measures for changing the culture of PS; analyze and compare different methods of voluntary (and mandatory) licensing and accreditation systems of HCOs in MS implementation of PS and QC standards; develop synergies to coordinate activities in sustainable manner to improve PS and QC; delegate some goals regarding the PS and QC to stakeholders and establish international cooperation; update IT systems for mutual exchange of information connected to PS and QC issues and develop common communication strategy at EU and international level (including targeted key stakeholders, public events, and presentation at conferences including EU presidency conferences); incorporate good practices and experiences from EUNetPaS, MARQUIS and JA in the national systems of CPD.
The WP7 will examine drivers and barriers, identify and contact the main stakeholders in MS and target groups (health professionals, patients) which are: involved in PS and Health Care Quality. The experts of WP7 will contact different national professional organisation, important stakeholders responsible for monitoring of PS harm incidents and adverse events indifferent types of health care facilities in selected MS.

The WP7 is focused on the all important PS and QC stakeholders who are responsible for managing the process of improvement of PS and quality of healthcare services.

The objective of this WP is to:

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  Establish partners for sustainable international collaboration in different topics of PS and QC issues,
  
• 
  Find drivers mechanisms for improvement of cooperation between professional and patient organisation of MS
  

• 
  Improve the existing network and system of assessing and controlling PS and QC,
  
• 
  Foster the cooperation between MS by implementation of EU requirements regarding PS and QC and exchange of information about successful strategies that promote PS across the continuum of the healthcare system.
  
• 
  Improve the overview on the national strategy and level of applied legislative measures in different EU countries, related to implementation of international guide lines, protocols and pathways connected to non communicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, neurological…) and screening programs
  
• 
  Find solutions for improving the PS and QC by priority cases, provide professionals an interactive opportunity to learn about the latest in PS from the nation's most notable international experts with a focus on how to improve PS in the clinical environment
  

Target groups

The primary groups targeted by WP7 are:

• 
  Leaders, officers and experts of public institutions responsible for developing, implementation of strategy in different PS and QC topics in MS (for example Ministry of Health, Public Health Authority, Health Care Surveillance Authority, State Institute for Drug Control…) or who are responsible for reporting or monitoring of PS incidents and adverse events.
  
• 
  International professional organisation (physicians, nurses, quality managers), and
  
• 
  Non governmental patients’ organisations.
  

Their involvement will contribute to the improvement of the level in different tasks of the PS and QC issues at an institutional and national level.
Expected outcomes

Through the work of this WP7 it is expected that MS will cooperate and collaborate in sustainable manner on the different important topics of PS and QC issues in the next decades. The main stakeholders will deliver important innovative experiences and raise awareness among health care providers, selected groups of population of EU MS.

Each partner of WP7 should be able to find the relevant information that best suits his or her needs for enhancing activities on the PS and QC development. Important goal will be the the capacity buildings and creation of special team (working groups) in associated member states for finding long term solution and sustainable cooperation between health care facilities, public/private subjects, NGO/s and patient organisations.
The priorities should be taken for sustainable collaboration between national contact points and national professional institutes, authorities for PS and QC, responsible department of MoH, with international professional organisation on the EU level which are responsible dealing with the issues and are close involved in the process of:

• 
  Continual national accreditation and licensing system of health care providers and hospitals,
  
• 
  Implementation of international guide lines, protocols and pathways connected to non communicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, neurological…)
  
• 
  Implementation of cancer screening programs (colorectal cancer, breast cancer screening and cervical womb cancer) which are recommended by EU.
  
• 
  Improvement of national set of PS and QC indicators for all health care providers.
  

Organisation within WP7

The WP is lead by The Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. The WP has 13 Associate Partners (APs).

Task group

All APs are invited to present their preference for types of sustainable cooperation after the three years JA project. There will be a common need to find optimal solution for sustainable collaboration in the different topics of PS and QC initiatives.

Some partners will actively work and others will review and comment the works and the results.

In regard to preferences, needs and motivation there will be recommended a strategy in regard to the results of other WPs and approved by all APs.

Work packages 4, 5, 6 will feedback information to WP7 (via WP2 and 1) to express the major aspects they would like to be sustainable. This would help WP7 to formulate the activities for sustainability. It was also suggested to make a link to the seek for validation in the MS, this could possibly be done through the Council Working Party on Public Health at Senior Level.
Coordination and communication

The partners will meet face-to-face at the coordination meetings during the project and cooperate via internet and teleconferences. The purpose of the meetings and actions is to present the achieved results in other WP and coordinate the work for sustainable collaboration for selected stakeholders on the national and international levels

The WP Leader will inform all WP7 associated partners by mail about internal WP7 issues. The WP Leader will also ensure that all relevant information from the wider JA bodies. Each partner has to appoint one responsible person, who will be sent the information to their own organisation and experts. The WP Leader with cooperation of selected partners and experts will be responsible for the agenda and the minutes from these teleconferences. These documents will be shared among all WP7 partners.

Mail correspondence will be the primary method of communication. It is important to ensure a high level of communication among all partners involved in WP7.

Decision making and approval of work

The final WP work plan will be developed by the WP Leader, core partners and will be validated by the associated partners. There will be a strong need to find consensus for the types of sustainable cooperation and find optimal compromises in the WP7 for the realisation strategy of international cooperation. During the work on the project is important to find agreement about the forms of sustained cooperation in each segment of PS and QC (use of PS and QC indicators, learning mechanism, rapid alert mechanism; peer review of PS and QC.

The voluntary collaboration of the AP and key EU stakeholders will:

• 
  lead in some EU countries to significant changes in the culture of PS,
  
• 
  help to analyze and compare different methods of voluntary (and mandatory) licensing and accreditation systems of HCOs in MS,
  
• 
  foster the implementation of PS and QC standards, guidelines, protocols, pathways and indicators.
  

The voluntary collaboration of AP and key EU stakeholders will

• 
  develop synergies to coordinate activities in sustainable manner to improve PS and QC,
  
• 
  delegate some goals regarding the improvement systems of the PS and QC in MS,
  
• 
  develop a sustainable EU network of relevant MS institutions for PS and QC,
  
• 
  update IT systems for mutual exchange of information connected to PS and QC issues,
  
• 
  develop common communication strategy at EU and international level (including targeted key stakeholders,
  
• 
  increase the number and improve the quality of PS and QC events, presentation and conferences presidency conferences);
  
• 
  incorporate good practices and experiences from EUNetPaS, MARQUIS and JA in the national legislative system of CPD.
  

PaSQ Collaborating Partners

Table 12: PaSQ CPs

	Institution	Contact person (First name and last name)	City & Country
1	Ministry of Health	Bojana Beović	Slovenia
2	Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)	Vladimir Stevanovic	Paris, France
3	Instituto de Salud Carlos III	Teresa Moreno	Madrid, Spain
4	Austrian Patient Safety Platform	Maria Kletecka	Vienna, Austria
5	Ministry of Health	Patrizia Theurer	Vienna, Austria
6	Ministry of Health	Dr. Mary Avraamidou	Nicosia, Cyprus
7	Ministry of Health	Elisabeth Heisbourg	Luxembourg
8	National Patient Safety Agency	Bruce Warner	London, United Kingdom
9	Health Foundation	Stephen Thornton	London, United Kingdom
10	World Health Organisation (WHO)	Ed Kelley	Geneva, Switzerland
11	WHO Regional Office for Europe	Valentina Hafner	Copenhagen, Denmark
12	Institue of hygiene (HILT)	Rolanda Valinteliene	Vilnius, Lithuania
13	EPSO	Jooske Vos	Den Haag, Netherlands
14	ENRICH Network of European Regions	José Luis Rocha Castilla	Spain
15	Health First Europe	John Bowis	Brussels, Belgium
16	Health Board	Tiiu Aro, Mihhail Muzotsin	Estonia
17	Sociedad Espanola de Calidad Asistencial	Emilio Ignacio	Spain
18	Care Quality Commission	Sandra Eismann	UK
19	Federal Public Service Health Food Chain Safety and Environment	Margareta Haelterman	Belgium
20	ISQua	Roisin Borland	Ireland
21	GESPAG	Tilman Koenigswieser	Austria
22	Austrian Institute for Quality in Healthcare (BIQG)	Eva Kernstock	Austria
23	DGS	Maria Jao Gaspar, Cristina Costa	Portugal
24	Ministry of Health	Lydie Charouzová	Czech Republic

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