Support to reforms in health workforce field - Initiatives on medical deserts (Heading 1.2.1.1 of the AWP 2020)

Call Updates

May 12, 2020 10:51:42 AM

The deadline for submission of proposals has been extended to the 06 August 2020, 17:00 Brussels time. 

Mar 17, 2020 12:30:00 AM

The submission session is now available for: PJ-01-2020-2(HP-PJ)

Support to reforms in health workforce field - Initiatives on medical deserts (Heading 1.2.1.1 of the AWP 2020)

ID: PJ-01-2020-2
Type of action: HP-PJ Project
Deadline Model : single-stage
Planned opening date: 17 March 2020
Deadline: 10 June 2020 17:00:00 Brussels time

3rd Health Programme

Call name: Call for Proposals for Project Grants under the Annual Work Programme 2020 of the 3rd EU Health Programme
Call ID: HP-PJ-2020-2

Scope: 

Background and purpose of the call:

The European health workforce is facing major challenges due to an ageing population, a higher demand of new primary care models and better-integrated and more patient-centred care, and rise of chronic diseases, in a broader context of persistent budgetary constraints. Moreover, the health workforce itself is ageing rapidly while financial cutbacks compound broader migration patterns and are causing severe health workforce shortages in various Member States. Finally, several EU regions are facing the problem of so-called “medical deserts” with falling number of medical practitioners. It becomes more than urgent to promote evidence-based reforms to address the challenges that the European health workforce is facing, through actions focusing on retention policies, medical deserts and task shifting.

Targeted beneficiaries: Legally established organisations, public authorities, healthcare providers, health professional associations, public sector bodies (in particular, research and health institutions, universities and higher education establishments in Member States and other participating countries).

Objectives pursued and expected results of the initiative:

The objective of the initiative is to provide support to Member States to design and implement their policies related to healthcare workforce retention, task-shifting and regional medical deserts. This should be achievedthrough the development of supporting tools –guidelines, scaling up of good practices, creating a platform for policy dialogue to advance on these challenging issues.

The initiatives aim specifically at:

Identifying and analyzing factors related to the conception and implementation of reforms on retention policies, medical deserts and task-shifting, and developing practical guidelines for the public authorities and healthcare providers which will serve as operational tools supporting their healthcare workforce policies in relation to challenges in these fields;
Analyzing and suggesting possible changes in the legal and policy environment and ways to provide incentives to remove legal and other barriers to the recruitment and retention of healthcare workforce in underserved areas;
Implementing effective strategies, identifying best practices and facilitating the exchange of these practices including at regional or local level (e.g. through information sessions), assessing the suitability/ground for broader practice dissemination;
Contributing to a network on health workforce linked to the EU health policy platform (EU-HPP)[1], to ensure the sustainability of results achieved under individual projects ,continuation of dissemination and scale up of best practices amongst Member States beyond the action's term;
Organizing workshops and seminars to ensure joint reflection among the actors participating in the selected initiatives and relevant experts and, when relevant, cross-fertilisation of ideas across the three areas of reforms at stake;
Enhancing knowledge, including by targeted studies and reports related to the development of retention policies, the development of policies on medical deserts, and the implementation of task-shifting projects;
Providing practical training and developing educational material, which could be further exploited by public authorities and healthcare providers engaged in the health workforce field;
Organising events to present the lessons learnt and the guidelines to the relevant public authorities and healthcare providers.

Description of the activities to be funded under this topic:

The action will finance Initiatives on medical deserts carried out by public authorities.

Activities to be carried out under such an initiative may include, but are not limited to:

Definition and taxonomy of the concept of medical desserts taking into account relevant distinguishing factors such as demand side (demographic ageing), supply side (attracting and retaining health work force), progress in take-up of e-health solutions, established mapping of “medical deserts” if available (reported) and providing a set of tools with “diagnostic” metrics;
Feasibility of measurement framework: how to identify and monitor medical desserts, including through considering use of available data, and how to apply it in the national and subnational context taking into account various healthcare delivery models;
Root cause analysis of factors driving “desertification” per Member State taking into account subnational specificities and ways for optimisation of territorial coverage of health workers;
Consensus-building exercise on optimal mix of policy measures, also explicitly addressing possible trade-offs (e.g. between quality-of-care and patient traveling distance).
Updated figures and forecast of health workforce shortages as well as their impact on the health systems
Possible approaches to mitigate medical deserts that could be brought by an adequate skill-mix or the use of e-health or IT systems

All proposed actions should take into account, complement and build upon available data/actions, in order to bring added-value and avoid duplications.

The allocation of resources within the consortium shall focus on the implementation of initiatives in the partner organizations. Organizations in the consortium shall explain their role and their specific contribution to the project in line with the text and requirements of the call.

The proposals shall include a methodology for impartially evaluating the progress made on implementing proposed initiatives throughout the duration of the project. The methodology for the evaluation should be thought as formative, helping the partners to adapt their initiatives as necessary. This activity could be dedicated to a specific partner organization within the consortium with the appropriate expertise or it can be subcontracted. Specific work package and deliverable(s) should be introduced in the proposal (Mandatory work package 3 on evaluation).

The projects under this call shall closely work together and make use of synergies amongst them as much as possible . Projects under this call shall furthermore contribute to the specific “Health Workforce” forum in the Health Policy Platform.

Expected impact:

Support Members States in constantly improve designing and implementing their policies related to healthcare workforce retention, task-shifting and regional medical deserts.

Enhance the knowledge base ,and the practical tools for the conception and implementation of reforms on retention policies, medical deserts and task-shifting.

The funded action should also lead to creating a community of actors experienced in healthcare workforce issues with the aim of, inter alia :

sharing best practices and lessons learned from pilot projects and from institutions with higher expertise and transformation experiences;
developing tools to disseminate them and stimulate activities in less advanced institutions.

Budget

The Commission considers that proposals requesting an EU contribution of approx. 400.000 EUR and a duration of 36 month would appropriately address the specific workforce related challenges. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submissions and selection of proposals requesting other amounts or duration.

Available budget for this topic: 800.000 EUR (indicative expected projects between 2 and 3).

The grant agreement(s) will be awarded to those ranked highest, up to the available budget of 800.000 EUR (EU-Contribution).

[1]https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/hpf/