Background
This Exchange Visit is part of the Emergency Preparedness Integrated Courses under Article 11 (EPIC11) project, which focuses on the provision of prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) trainings for Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health (SCBTH) in EU Member States and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. The EPIC11 project was formulated in response to the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) call for tenders on “EU preparedness: analysis, planning, reporting and training pro-grammes for health specialists”. The call builds on the need to implement the new Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on SCBTH and reinforce PPR planning with targeted training and knowledge exchange activities for healthcare and public health staff (Article 11 – Regulation 2022/2371).
EPIC11 is developing an EU preparedness training programme that responds to the needs of PPR planners, managers and practitioners and addresses the current gaps in relation to PPR planning in all EU Member States and EEA countries. EPIC11 is implemented by a consortium led by GFA Consulting Group GmbH (DE), KIT Royal Tropical Institute (NL), and Think Modular (AT).
The overall project vision is to respond better to future public health emergencies, within and across countries. The EU preparedness training programme will support 27 EU Member States and 3 EEA countries to
- build knowledge and skills for more resilient PPR planning for personnel working in all hazard and threat administration and agencies, as well as
- smoothen communication and coordination within countries and between countries.
The training programme is founded on the diversity of national systems and focuses on a
- multi-hazard approach to health threats in a
- cross-sectoral and
- international setting,
- addressing serious cross-border threats to health.
This EU preparedness training programme will be complementary and build on the existing training programmes developed and managed by ECDC, WHO, EC’s policy departments (DGs), HERA, joint actions, various EU level projects, universities, training institutes and national institutions.
Aims and objectives
The Exchange Visit focuses on the healthcare emergency management during serious cross-border threats to health, and addresses the following three thematic areas:
- Medical evacuation and emergency relocation of hospitals, services and patients within a country and across borders
- Strategies and processes for decentralisation of healthcare emergency mandates and functions from national hospitals to regional level
- Civil and military collaboration
This Exchange Visit aims to:
- Exchange knowledge and best practices on preparedness systems and response mechanisms implemented by different countries, and to learn from best practices.
- Discuss challenges and opportunities in development and implementation of hospital decentralisation strategies.
- Strengthen cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration through improved prevention, preparedness, and response planning focusing on the medical evacuation, hospitals decentralization strategies and civil and military interaction.
- Foster collaboration, communication, and cross-border partnerships among countries, thereby enhancing collective responses to health emergencies and nurturing a growing Community of Practice network that supports ongoing learning, collaboration, and exchange among health experts.
Methodology
The exchange visit follows a participatory approach, promoting the constant exchange of experiences among different countries and participants, aiming to engage the audience in meaningful discussions, allowing them to ask questions, share insights, and provide feedback on the presented structures and plans.
The programme comprises presentations from specific countries and subject matter experts, group discussions, plenary discussions, and experience sharing.
Target audience
The exchange visit is open to all EU Member States and EEA countries. The participation of Baltic, Nordic and smaller countries (Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Malta, Luxembourg) is particularly encouraged.
The exchange visit will be open to up to 30 participants from different countries. The target audience is:
- mid-level managers and experts from public health and civil protection sectors involved in policy-making activities around prevention, preparedness, and response
- risk managers, planners and senior level officials within the national healthcare sector
- specialists involved in medical evacuation planning and procedures, civil-military collaboration and hospital management staff involved in decentralisation processes
- other relevant stakeholders in the health emergency management field interested in the topic of medical evacuations, decentralization of hospitals and civil-military interaction.
Preparatory materials
National strategies and operation plans linked to medical evacuation of hospitals, services and patients, hospital decentralisation plans and processes and collaborative plans between civil and military bodies. Selected countries will be requested to present their structure and challenges in planning medical evacuation or decentralisation.
Outcomes
It is expected that the exchange visit will:
- Align and clarify SCBTH regulation and the role of national prevention, preparedness and response plans
- Clarify coordination and collaboration mechanisms among different sectors in the area of hospital relocation and in the process of decentralisation
- Strengthen cross-border and regional collaboration, promote cross-border exchange
The overall vision is to respond better to future public health emergencies, within and across countries.