Portal of Best Practices and Innovations – Now Live

In November 2023, a new portal was published of examples of best practices and innovations in healthcare arising from the workforce crisis.

These selected articles are categorised into six distinct topics. You can find them in the drop-down menus below.

What Are the Best Practices for the Workforce? Take Our Questionnaire

In August 2023, we published a questionnaire targeting members of Europe’s cancer workforce, including those in current practice or retired. The purpose is to bring forward experiences, examples, and recommendations for best practice that can be promoted to change-makers and decision-makers at both the European and national level to improve:

• workforce planning and retention 
• workplace conditions, and efficiencies in the cancer professional's time 
• reducing bureaucracy for cancer professionals
• the cancer professional's wellbeing and job satisfaction

The results of the survey will be published in 2024 and will be the foundation of policy recommendations from the European cancer community to national and European policymakers in the lead up to, and beyond, the 2024 European Parliament elections.

Recommendations include:

• Ensure time for staff training and development, involvement in research and attending scientific congresses.
• Support policies for a proper work-life balance among staff .
• Incentivise a work environment that fosters positivity and growth.
• Improve bureaucratic reporting requirements, e.g. split some reporting duties between different professions involved.
• Guarantee psychological care and stress management training during all career phases.
• Streamline administrative processes to ensure doctors have more time for patient care.
• Improve working conditions of workforce for better patient care.
• Promote workforce mentorship programmes for trainees across healthcare facilities.

Background

An essential part of ECO’s efforts is the gathering of case studies, innovative practices, and examples of good policy implementation. Specifically:

• The introduction of technology to enable more effective use of a professional’s time
• The demonstration that bureaucratic procedures can be reduced without added risk or expense
• The utilisation of existing measures to improve a professional's wellbeing and job satisfaction

This will be done by reaching out to volunteers and organisations, and to the ECO network of cancer professionals across Europe to gather as much feedback as possible. This will be accompanied by research to identify existing practices that have proven effective (such as the IHI Framework for improving Joy in Work)