On 8 December 2020, the European Commission published the opinion of the Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health on the organisation of resilient health and social care following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The opinion identifies the building blocks of resilient health and social care, explores the elements and conditions for capacity building to strengthen health system resilience, addresses healthcare needs of vulnerable patients at times of crisis, and defines a blueprint for resilience testing of health systems.
Among other recommendations, and to increase the resilience of our health and care systems, the Panel suggests the need:
- to invest in the health workforce;
- to strengthen primary health care and mental health services;
- of practical guidance on continuity of care,
- of development of digital solutions for self- and home-care
- to share best practices in prevention of the spread of infections, in outbreak control, in support and care of marginalized groups, in provision of mental health and psychosocial support, and in training of staff working in health and social care settings,
- to support primary care services to reduce vulnerability in the community
All these recommendations of course are relevant to the objectives of ENhANCE.
To access the full EXPH Opinion, please click here. To access a summarised fact sheet please, click here.
