Meeting of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers, WHO
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The WHO Regional Office for Europe The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations created in 1948 with the primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. The WHO Regional Office for Europe is one of six regional offices throughout the world, each with its own programme geared to the particular health conditions of the countries it serves. Member States Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Meeting of Government Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers, Cyprus Czechia Denmark WHO collaborating centres and the Estonia Finland France European Forum of National Nursing Georgia Germany Greece Hungary and Midwifery Associations in the Iceland Ireland Israel WHO European Region Italy Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Athens, Greece, 3–4 October 2018 Lithuania Luxembourg Malta MEETING REPORT Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia World Health Organization Spain Regional Office for Europe Sweden UN City, Marmorvej 51, Switzerland DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Tajikistan Turkey Tel.: +45 33 70 00 Turkmenistan Fax: +45 33 70 01 Ukraine Email: [email protected] United Kingdom Uzbekistan Website: www.euro.who.int Meeting of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers, WHO collaborating centres and the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations in the WHO European Region Athens, Greece, 3–4 October 2018 MEETING REPORT Abstract The overarching theme of the Meeting of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers (GCNMOs), WHO collaborating centres and the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations in the WHO European Region was to review, discuss and accelerate progress in strengthening nursing and midwifery towards achieving the population health objectives of Health 2020. Participants from more than 40 Member States attended the meeting and provided an update on the progress in implementing the European strategic directions for strengthening nursing and midwifery towards Health 2020 goals (ESDNM). The participants contributed to technical sessions oriented around three key themes “include, invest and innovate”, themes developed for the 10th anniversary conference of the Tallinn Charter: Health Systems for Health and Wealth. The participants attended working groups on “action to accelerate progress”, sharing lessons learned in implementing the ESDNM and identifying opportunities to advance progress. A key point was the importance of strengthening national leadership and advocating for the role of GCNMOs in all governments. 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The views expressed by authors, editors, or expert groups do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the World Health Organization. Design: Damian Mullan, So it begins …, United Kingdom (Scotland). Cover picture: © Russian Nurses Association. iii CONTENTS ACRONYMS iv BACKGROUND 1 OPENING SESSION 3 TECHNICAL SESSION 1. STRENGTHENING NURSING AND MIDWIFERY – REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS 5 TECHNICAL SESSION 2. INCLUDE – IMPROVING COVERAGE AND ACCESS FOR EVERYONE 7 Panel 1. Midwives supporting improved coverage and access 7 Panel 2. Nurses supporting improved coverage and access 10 TECHNICAL SESSION 3. INNOVATE – HARNESSING INNOVATIONS TO MEET PEOPLE’S NEEDS 14 TECHNICAL SESSION 4. INVEST – MAKING THE CASE FOR INVESTING IN MIDWIVES AND NURSES 19 WORKING GROUPS: ACTION TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS 23 First group sessions 23 Second group sessions 25 WRAP-UP AND NEXT STEPS 28 REFERENCES 29 ANNEX 1. PROGRAMME 30 ANNEX 2. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 33 iv ACRONYMS EFNNMA European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations GCNMO Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers GP general practitioner LGBTQ lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer NCD noncommunicable disease ORAMMA Operational Refugee and Migrant Maternal Approach (project) SDG (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goal TB tuberculosis UHC universal health coverage 1 BACKGROUND Nurses and midwives in the WHO European Region represent the majority of frontline health workers engaged in actions to promote health and prevent illness. They are essential in the delivery of primary health-care services. The core values of equity, solidarity and social justice; universal access to efficient and affordable people-centred health services; multisectoral cooperation; and community participation underpin the work of nursing and midwifery personnel. Their services are essential to society, and the contribution of nurses and midwives has long been acknowledged as crucial to improving the health outcomes of individuals, families and communities. The WHO Regional Office for Europe supports Member States in developing and sustaining health policies, health systems and programmes; preventing and overcoming threats to health; preparing for future health challenges; and advocating and implementing public health activities. Strengthening nursing, midwifery and the broader health workforce, and promoting health systems strategies, are priorities of WHO’s work with Member States. The important contribution of nurses and midwives towards achieving population health objectives is emphasized in Health 2020: a European policy framework and strategy for the 21st century (1). Based on evidence and extensive consultations with government chief nursing and midwifery officers (GCNMOs), the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA) and all relevant partners and stakeholders, the WHO Regional Office developed and launched in 2015 the European strategic directions for strengthening nursing and midwifery towards Health 2020 goals (2). The publication, which was translated into many European national languages, was accompanied by a compendium of good practices in nursing and midwifery (3). The Regional Office is providing technical support to Member States in their efforts to implement the strategic directions, facilitating the exchange of country experiences and monitoring progress towards achieving Health 2020 goals within the context of universal health coverage (UHC). In recognition of the significant and valuable contribution nurses and midwives make to improving health outcomes, the meeting provided an opportunity to exchange individual and collective experiences in leadership and utilization of the nursing and midwifery workforce to its full potential. The purpose of the meeting was to review, discuss and accelerate progress in strengthening nursing and midwifery towards achieving the population health objectives of Health 2020 – the need to improve health for all and reduce the health divide, and the need to strengthen leadership and participatory governance for health – and the longer-term health goals for Member States in the WHO European Region. Specific objectives of the meeting were to: • provide an update on the progress made in implementing the European strategic directions for strengthening nursing and midwifery towards Health 2020 goals at the national and regional levels; • discuss current challenges and enable progress in meeting them; • arrive at a common understanding of the potential and impact of nurses and midwives in the European Region; and • agree upon actions to accelerate progress towards achieving the objectives of Health 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2 The expected outcomes of the meeting were to: • discuss the progress made in nursing and midwifery since the previous WHO regional meeting on nursing and midwifery in 2015, and lessons learned from country experiences; • consider vital enablers to scale up action and accelerate progress in different policy