Presented at the 64th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.

1. Nurses and Midwives:
a vital resource for health
Technical briefing,
Division of Health Systems and Public Health
Wednesday, 17 September 2014

2. Purpose of the briefing
To promote debate among Member States and
relevant stakeholders on how to strengthen
nursing and midwifery in order to maximize
their potential and enable their full
contributions for supporting
Health 2020 implementation

3. Documents for discussion
• Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery:
European strategic directions towards
Health 2020 goals
• Compendium of good practices in
nursing and midwifery

4. Expected outcomes
• To kick-start the consultation process on the framework “Strengthening
nursing and midwifery: European strategic directions towards Health
2020”
• To better understand the roles and contributions of nurses and
midwives to the health and well-being of the population, with a focus on
Health 2020 goals
• To engage political commitment to realize the potential of nursing and
midwifery to influence future progress in supporting Health 2020
implementation

5. From Munich - to Health 2020
and beyond…
“Nurses and midwives have key and
increasingly important roles to play in society’s
efforts to tackle the public health challenges of
our time and in ensuring the continuity of care
and addressing people’s rights and changing
needs”
Source: Health 2020: a European policy framework and strategy for the 21 century.
p.115

6. Key conclusions of the regional meeting
• Develop a shared strategic vision, aligned
with Health 2020
• Collect evidence, facilitate information
exchange and promote good practices
• Ensure political commitment and technical
collaboration
• Validate the strategic action and a way
forward

7. Working with partners and networks
to develop common strategic vision
WHO Regional Meeting of CNOs, Vilnius, October 2013 Regional network of CNOs, EFNNMA and WHO CCs

8. Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery:
European Strategic Direction towards Health 2020 goals
Common Health 2020 vision:
To improve health and well-being of populations and
to reduce health inequities
Priority areas
of action
Enabling
mechanisms
Scaling up and
transforming
education
Workforce planning
and optimizing
skill mix
Ensuring
attractive
work environment
Promoting evidence
based practice and
innovation
Regulation Research Partnerships Management

9. Collecting evidence to support policy framework
Common Health 2020 vision:
To improve health and well-being of populations and to reduce health inequities
Innovative, competent and motivated nursing and midwifery
workforce providing sustainable, safe and evidence based:
• patient centred care,
• health promotion
• disease prevention
Priority areas
of action
Enabling
mechanisms
Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery - European strategic directions towards Health 2020 goals
Scaling up and
transforming
education
Workforce planning
and optimizing
skill mix
Ensuring
attractive
work environment
Promoting evidence
based practice and
innovation
Regulation Research Partnerships Management
European
compendium on
good nursing and
midwifery practices

10. Compendium of good practices
55 case studies from 18 countries in Europe
Good practices in nursing and midwifery exist supporting Health 2020 implementation
Nurses and midwives – key actors in enhancing health
Empowering communities, promoting health through life course
Ensuring equal access and better continuum of care
Providing safe, efficient and quality care

11. The Roadmap towards 2015
Technical
briefing,
RC64
WHO CNOs
meeting for CIS
St. Petersburg
Regional
Committee:
sixty-fifth
session
Joint WHO & EU
CNOs meeting,
Lithuania
Joint WHO & EU
CNOs meeting,
Riga
EU CNOs
meeting, Cyprus
WHO Expert
group meeting,
WHO/Europe
Joint WHO & EU
CNOs meeting
Warsaw
Oct
2011
May
2012
Oct
2012
Oct
2013
Sep
2015
Sep
2014
Apr
2015