Care
There are several sub-topics to consider in this area.
Quality in stationary care is still a central topic of debate in all the Member States examined by our study. However, there are also some new developments in field of palliative care:
One of the objectives of the Dutch policies on care in 2007-2011 has been to strengthen the palliative care system and to create a legal framework for organizations providing palliative care services. In March 2011, the Dutch ministry published a document on the future financing and organization of palliative care. Additional information can be found here: “Financiering & organisatie van palliatieve zorg: De pioniersfase voorbij?” (Financing & organization of palliative care: The pioneering phase is over?)
For more information on the issue of palliative care and the objectives of the Dutch government, click here.
The Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Policies and Equality has also published an “Update on the strategy on Palliative Care in the National Health System 2010 - 2014“ (Estrategia en Cuidados Paliativos del Sistema Nacional de Salud Actualización 2010-2014). The document, which shows the strategy for the years 2010 – 2014, is part of the “Quality Plan for the National Health System”. Furthermore there are plans to implement a new regulation on palliative care. This legislative proposal will be presented to the Spanish cabinet in May 2011. The draft law will also reform the rights of dying patients and facilitate the expansion of palliative care services. It will also create legal certainty for professionals in palliative care and consolidate quality standards in their work.
France too has implemented a programme to further develop palliative care, with 18 different measures planned for the years 2008 - 2012. Since 2010, caring relatives of terminally ill persons have been entitled to financial assistance from the programme “End of Life Allowance” (“Allocation de fin de vie”“). For more information on the French palliative care programme, click here.
Information on the UK’s “End of Life Care Strategy”, which was launched in July 2008 and seems to be modelled on the French regulation for a carer’s allowance, can be found here.
PRISMA (Reflecting the Positive DiveRsities of European PrIorities for ReSearch and Measurement in End of Life CAre; 7th Framework Programme, Health-F2-2008-201655) is involving 11 partner organizations across 9 countries in Europe and Africa.
Organizations from Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Portugal are members of the PRISMA Consortium. “The aim of PRISMA has been to inform best practice and harmonize research in end-of-life care for cancer patients across Europe through comparison and exchange of approaches and experiences in measurement and research priorities” (...). The outcomes enhance end-of-life cancer care for patients and their families, researchers, clinicians and service-providers and the outputs aid national and EU-level policy.
More information on PRISMA can be found here.
