8.7 new policy statement – ageing society

Return to 2015 GA agenda page here.

Background explanation

Policy statement passed by EAHP’s members give clarity of mandate to EAHP in the conduct of its advocacy activity, ensuring key messages articulated to EU institutions have been clearly endorsed by Europe’s representative hospital pharmacy organisations.

From 2012 to 2014 EAHP General Assemblies have provided opportunities to update the policy mandate of EAHP in a number of areas including: medical device regulation, clinical trial regulation, public spending austerity, antimicrobial resistance and eHealth/mHealth. These updates have left the secretariat better placed to ensure the views of hospital pharmacy are represented and heard by EU policy-makers and decision makers at events, during policy related debates and considerations in the European Parliament, and in responses to EU level consultations.

An identified area in 2015 for improving EAHP’s policy mandate relates to the policy topic of an ageing society. The European Commission has identified a role for itself, across a number of Directorate Generals, in assisting national governments in responding to the challenge by facilitating best practice sharing initiatives, commissioning research, funding development projects via the EU Health Programme and sponsoring the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. The Commission is likely to continue to play such roles in its 2014-2019 term and it is considered important by the EAHP Board that the contribution and perspectives of the hospital pharmacy profession is understood within this EU policy agenda area.

The below policy statement is therefore presented to the 2015 EAHP General Assembly for scrutiny, potential amendment (until 26 May) and vote (on Saturday 13 June).

Key points made within the statement

In summary, the policy statement calls for:

1. Increased uptake of hospital pharmacist roles in medication reconciliation and review as a key part of the European response to increasing prevalence of polypharmacy
2. Improved training of health professionals in the core aspects of dementia care
3. Further embedding of inter-sector communication and multi-disciplinary working as critical approaches to meeting the health system challenges of an ageing society
4. Regulatory innovation to improve the participation of older patients in clinical trials
5. An increase in best practice sharing and adoption across Europe of measures to ensure the internal health system challenge of an ageing health workforce is successfully met.

Opportunity for amendment