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Welcome to the 44th edition of the Healthcare Professional Crossing Borders (HPCB) Update. In this edition we reflect on the success of the recent HPCB conference – Mobile professionals, safe patients – that was held on 4 February in Dublin. A big thank you to our wonderful speakers, attendees and hosts - the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU). We have received really positive feedback, with 100% of participants who completed feedback forms agreeing that they would attend a future conference. If you attended the conference but have not yet provided feedback please do so via this survey.

In this edition we hear from the Standing Committee of European Doctors on their Health Check 2019 for the forthcoming European elections, look at the EC’s first EEA market study on telemedicine, the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council’s consultation launch on the future of midwifery and we provide an update on the EC tender on the mapping and assessment of developments for nurses responsible for general care.

CONTENTS

HPCB conference 1

EU INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTSHPCB edition caveat 4CPME Health Check 2019 4EC telemedicine report 5ePrescriptions in Estonia 5Electronic health files 5RPQ infringements 6EC issues follow up infringement notices 6Austrian infringements on cross-border healthcare 7Nursing tender 7Enhancing healthcare cooperation conference 7 Brexit 8CPME – Brexit press release 8

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT QUESTIONS National Action Plans 9 Impact of eHealth 9

NETWORKS UPDATEENMCA meeting 10PGEU 2030 vision paper 10

EUROPEAN REGULATION UPDATES NMC consultation on future of midwifery 11GMC PMQ and nationality report 2017-2018 12Review of dental CPD 12

AROUND THE GLOBE WHO list threats in 2019 13WCPT physical therapy 2018 data 13US regulatory trends 2018 13 Nursing Now! Update 14Australia regulates paramedics 14

Upcoming events 15Newsletters 15

Spring edition I Issue 44

Crossing Borders Update

For further information please contact: Olivia Guthrie, HPCB, 350 Euston Road, London NW1 3JN Tel: +44 020 7189 5162 Email: hpcb@gmc-uk.orgContinued on next page >

We held the Healthcare Professionals Crossing Borders (HPCB) – Mobile professionals, safe patients conference on 4 February 2019 in Dublin. This was the 11th HPCB conference to be held since the creation of the network.

Jointly hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU), the conference brought together over 120 representatives from European healthcare regulators, professional bodies, and national governments.

In the historic setting of Dublin Castle, delegates discussed a range of topics of relevance to competent authorities across Europe.

Mairead McGuinness MEP gave a speech on the impact of Brexit on professional mobility, especially in the context of the Irish border. This was followed by a detailed presentation by Paul Buckley of the UK General Medical Council (GMC) which outlined the work that the GMC has been doing to prepare for Brexit and gave details

HPCB conference – Mobile professionals, safe patients

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on the UK Government’s planning for registering EEA qualified doctors should the UK leave the EU without a deal.

Konstantinos Tomaras from DG GROW in the European Commission presented on the future of the professional qualifications framework and outlined plans to revise the minimum training requirements for nurses.

The first panel then discussed the recognition of professional qualifications (RPQ) in more detail. Representatives from the German Medical Association, the Dutch BIG Register and the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (Ireland) spoke about their experiences with RPQ in practice and outlined ways in which they believe the recognition framework could be improved.

After lunch, the conference focused on health workforce issues. Eszter Kovacs of Semmelweis University in Hungary updated on the EC-funded SEPEN Joint Tender which aims to map the trends and expectations in healthcare mobility. Representatives of the Federation of European Dental Competent Authorities and Regulators, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (Ireland) and the EU Network of Nurse Regulators then shared experiences of workforce challenges and projects in their respective organisations.

The final session of the day focused on eHealth. Maria Filina-Kossatsova of the Estonian Health Board gave an overview of how eHealth has transformed the Estonian healthcare system and how the country is leading the way in the cross-border recognition of ePrescriptions. The final panel session saw representatives of the General Pharmaceutical Council (UK) and the World Federation of Physiotherapists outline how the growing prevalence of cross-border eHealth is transforming their sectors.

Feedback from conference delegates was overwhelmingly positive with 100% ‘strongly agreeing’ or ‘agreeing’ that the conference was very good and useful. Delegates welcomed the opportunity to network with regulators from across Europe and to build relationships with counterparts in other organisations. All presentations and photographs are available on the HPCB website here. If you attended the conference and have not yet provided your feedback please do by filling out this short survey.

We hope to build on the success of the conference and to ensure that the Healthcare Professionals Crossing Borders network continues to provide opportunities for competent authorities to come together and discuss issues of shared interest. If your competent authority is interested in hosting a future HPCB event please get in touch with the secretariat via HPCB@gmc-uk.org.

From left: Alexander Jäkel, German Medical Association; Margaret Hynds O’Flanagan, CORU; Seniz Sicim-Sari, BIG Register; Damhnait Gaughan, PSI; and Konstantinos Tomaras, DG GROW EC

Eszter Kovacs, SEPEN Joint Tender, Semmelweis University

From left: Ginny Hanrahan, CORU; Mairead McGuinness MEP; and Paul Buckley, GMC.

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Mairead McGuinness, MEP; Paul Buckley, GMC; Niall Byrne, PSI; and Ginny Hanrahan, CORU

Attendees at the HPCB conference Maltese delegation

Networking

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Miriam D’Ambrosio, Communication and Project Officer, Standing Committee of European Doctors

The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) has launched its Health Check 2019 ahead of the upcoming European elections. European doctors call on EU decision makers to: Put health high on the EU agenda; support skilled doctors and safe conditions; enable healthy living; invest in health security; foster trust in the sharing of health data; and guarantee access to medicines.

European doctors towards the European Elections 2019

The CPME Health Check 2019 puts emphasis on the future of health. Although the need to respect budgetary restraints is recognised, it is equally important to assess the impact that any budgetary plan may have upon health policy. Health is an essential element of the European social model and contributes to social cohesion, inclusive growth and nurtures a sound economic environment which is a prerequisite for investment.

The future newly-elected European Parliament and European Commission will have the power to make concrete contributions to the creation of a healthier European Union and to keep health policy on the EU agenda. Therefore, CPME considers it essential that the political groups within the European Parliament, national representatives in EU member states and the new Commission commit to health priority on their working agenda.

Future of health

Ensuring the best possible conditions for doctors’ education and professional practice remains a priority of CPME. Therefore, the European medical community asks that safe and attractive working conditions for doctors be ensured across Europe, even more so with Brexit changing the paradigm of medical migration and education and training. Brexit will bring many changes within the EU membership and within EU institutions. For the European medical profession, the impact of Brexit on mobility is a great concern. Doctors’ mobility in fact takes many forms: students cross borders to attend medical schools in other member states; junior doctors seek specialist training in another country; and professionals take the chance to develop their capacities by accepting posts abroad, be it temporary or long-term. European doctors will therefore continue to advocate for a solution which safeguards quality of care and a continued knowledge transfer in the profession throughout Europe.

CPME thanks you for your support of the Health Check 2019 and the work of CPME towards a safer and better Europe for all its citizens.

Skilled doctors, safe conditions

EU institutional developments Please note with European Parliament elections taking place in May and a new European Commission due to be appointed we have found that updates to EU institutional developments are scare for this edition. 2019 is certainly going to be a year of change.

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In January 2019, the first EU patients were able to use digital prescriptions issued by their home doctor when visiting a pharmacy in another EU country.

The initiative between Finland and Estonia applies to all ePrescriptions prescribed in Finland and to the Estonian pharmacies that have signed the agreement. The novelty of this initiative is that the ePrescriptions are visible electronically to participating pharmacists in the receiving country via the new eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure, without the patient having to provide a writtenprescription. This is in line with the European Commission’s policy on digital health and care, which aims to empower patients by giving access to their health data and ensuring continuity of care.

At the HPCB conference we were lucky enough to hear first-hand from Maria Filina-Kossatšova from the Estonian Department of Health Care Services on the new initiative regarding ePrescriptions. To see her slides from the conference follow this link or more information can be found here.

In 2011, European institutions adopted Directive 2011/24 which ensures continuity of care for European citizens

across borders. The Directive gives the possibility for member states to exchange health in a secure and efficient way.

Twenty two member states are part of the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure and are expected to exchange ePrescriptions and patients summaries by the end of 2021. Ten member states (Finland, Estonia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Cyprus, Greece and Belgium) may start these exchanges as early as this year.

The European Commission has released its first EEA- wide market study on telemedicine. The aim of the study is to examine the telemedicine market in Europe and to understand the factors that determine its development.

The analysis maps telemedicine applications and solutions, and applicable technical standards and guidelines. It also describes market dynamics and potential barriers limiting wider deployment and uptake of telemedicine solutions.

The study also assesses the cost-effectiveness of larger-scale deployment of telemedicine under current and future market conditions, and aims to provide advice to policy makers when considering deployment of telemedicine.

To read the full report, follow this link.

EC market study on telemedicine

EC Commission publishes view on the exchange of electronic health filesFollowing the launch of the Finnish and Estonian initiative, the European Commission has presented a set of recommendations proposing that member states extend the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure from ePrescriptions and patient summaries to three new areas of the health record, these are:

The Commission believes that access to complete and personal health records across the EU can offer immense benefits to European citizens. For more information please follow this link.

Finnish citizens first to use ePrescriptions in another EU country

1 laboratory tests 2 medical discharge reports 3 images and imaging reports.

Maria Filina-Kossatšova, Estonian Department of Health Care Services

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In January, the European Commission took infringement decisions concerning 27 member states to ensure the proper implementation of EU rules on services and professional qualifications. Letters of formal notice were sent to all member states (except Denmark) for the

non-compliance of their legislation and legal practice with EU rules on the recognition of professional qualifications and the corresponding access to activities. Member states now have two months to reply to the Commission; otherwise they face further legal action.

EC issues further infringement letters for the recognition of professional qualifications

EC issues follow up infringement notices The EC has issued a further set of infringement notices regarding non-compliance with the recognition of professional qualifications Directive. The notices are a follow up to one issued last summer.

Reasoned opinions have been sent to 24 member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and complementary letters of formal notice to 2 member states (Estonia and Latvia). Reasoned opinions represent the second stage in the infringement process.

We understand the reasoned opinions and supplementary letters of formal notice cover the following issues:

European professional card: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden;

Alert mechanism: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden;

Partial access: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden;

Proportionality of language requirements: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Poland, Romania and Slovakia

Setting up of assistance centres: France, Hungary, Italy and Portugal

Transparency and proportionality of regulatory obstacles: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

All member states concerned have now two months to respond to the arguments put forward by the Commission. Without a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to address a reasoned opinion to Estonia and Latvia, and to refer the other 24 member states to the Court of Justice of the EU.

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Mapping and assessment of developments for nurses responsible for general care

The European Commission DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs has awarded the tender for the mapping and assessment of developments for nurses responsible for

general care (a profession under the Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications) to Spark Legal Network EU BVBA.

The study will provide the necessary data and analysis to assist the EC in taking an informed decision on whether amendments to the recognition of professional qualifications Directive with regard to minimum training requirements would be appropriate and if so, to what extent.

While minimum training requirements for general care nurses have been harmonised at EU level, member states retain the power to introduce additional requirements if they consider it necessary. Since the minimum training requirements of the Directive were set out more than 30 years ago, the Commission believes it is necessary to review the current situation at national level with regards to training requirements, with a particular focus on requirements that go beyond the minimum required under the Directive.

Information on the awarded tender can be found here.

The EC has sent a letter of formal notice to Austria requesting that it ensures that the costs of healthcare received in another EU country under the EU cross-border

healthcare Directive are reimbursed up to the level applicable when healthcare is received

in Austria. The Directive grants patients the right to choose to receive healthcare in another member state and to claim reimbursement from their home country.

It states that this must be up to the level of the costs that would have been assumed by the patient’s own member state if the

healthcare had been provided there, without exceeding the actual costs. Austria now has two months to respond to the arguments put forward by the Commission.

EC issues infringement letter to Austria on cross-border healthcare

Enhancing healthcare cooperation in cross-border regions conference - 4 December 2018On 4 December 2018, the European Commission hosted a conference “Enhancing Healthcare Cooperation in Cross-border regions” to present the results of a mapping study of successful cooperation projects and to share its toolkit for practitioners interested in setting up cross-border cooperation. The conference was an opportunity to close the gap between scientific research and policy makers.

More information on the conference can be found here and a full video from the conference can be found here.

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Likely postponement of Brexit dateFollowing the failure of the UK Parliament to adopt the Withdrawal Agreement which was agreed between the UK and EU at the end of 2018, the UK has formally requested to postpone the date of EU exit. If EU leaders agree, negotiators will have extra time in which to find agreement on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. At the time of publication, the extended date was not yet agreed

Earlier this month, the UK Parliament adopted legislation in the field of recognition of professional qualifications to ensure that EEA healthcare professionals can continue to have their qualifications recognised in the UK in the event

of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. For the automatic professions, the provisions would allow for the continued recognition of certain EEA qualifications as evidence of knowledge, skill and experience, regardless of the nationality of the holder. The qualifications covered by this new route would be those qualifications that are included in Annex V of the recognition of professional qualifications Directive as of exit day. The general system route to recognition would be removed and replaced by the respective international route to recognition in place for each profession.

CPME Brexit press release - Impact of Brexit on healthcare services The Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) has highlighted that European doctors are deeply concerned by the continuing uncertainty about the UK’s future relationship with the EU. According to the CPME’s press release, the lack of a clear guidance represents a threat to patients, medical workforce and health systems with the future of medical mobility of special concern.

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European Parliament questions

National Action PlansNicola Caputo MEP has questioned the EC on the National Actions Plans (NAPs) that member states were due to submit by January 2016 under the terms of the revised recognition of professional qualifications Directive. He queried what measures the EC intends to take with regards to those member states who have submitted a plan but not yet initiated any reforms.

In response, the EC stated that the Directive for a proportionality test and the Communication on reform recommendations for regulation in professional services were proposed as a direct result of the NAPs. The Proportionality Directive compels member states to thoroughly assess the proportionality of any new requirement before adopting new regulation or amending existing ones.

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Impact of eHealth on older peopleDubravka Šuica MEP has questioned the EC on the impact of the increasing use of eHealth services on older people who may not be computer literate and on populations without Internet access. In response the EC stated that, despite the delivery of health services and medical care being the responsibility of the member states, it has taken an active interest in this area.

The Communication published last year on ‘Enabling the digital transformation of health and care in the Digital Single Market’ recognised that digital literacy skills vary substantially amongst EU citizens, and those skills may be weaker amongst certain population categories. As such it announced measures to empower citizens and enable person-centred care by promoting knowledge and skills of citizens, patients and healthcare professionals in using digital solutions.

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Networks update

European medical regulators meet to discuss professional qualifications

The latest meeting of the European Network of Medical Competent Authorities (ENMCA) took place on 26 November in Vienna. Hosted by the Austrian Medical Chamber, regulators from 19 member states met to discuss a range of issues including: the recognition of third country qualifications in different jurisdictions; CPD and different language checking policies for different regulators; and the impact of Brexit on professional mobility.

Bernard Zaglymayer from DG GROW in the European Commission attended and spoke about the future of the recognition of professional qualifications framework. The next ENMCA meeting will take place on 14 June 2019 and will be hosted by the Polish Supreme Chamber of Physicians and Dentists in Warsaw.

European community pharmacists 2030 Vision Paper

The Pharmaceutical Group of European Union (PGEU) has published its vision for the pharmacy profession in a paper titled Pharmacy 2030: A Vision for Community Pharmacy in Europe.

PGEU President Michal Byliniak stated, “This year PGEU celebrates its 60th anniversary. It is time to acknowledge the pharmacy profession’s vital contribution to the health of people over the last decade and to look to the future to how the profession can further enhance this contribution and help to strengthen Europe’s health systems.”

The PGEU Vision for Community Pharmacy 2030 outlines 10 key recommendations:

1 Maximise the benefits of the community pharmacist’s intervention for patients and healthcare systems by promoting pharmaceutical services to improve treatment outcomes and adherence and to minimise risks

2 Involve community pharmacists in collaborative care models

3 Grant community pharmacists access to all relevant patients’ health information and the list of medications they are taking

4 Consult pharmacists on the integration of new digital solutions in healthcare

5 Allow pharmacists to help progress the digitalisation of healthcare as trusted services for health information

6 Support pharmacists in integrating pharmacogenomics, validated clinical rules and real-world data in their daily practice to improve patient safety

7 Support community pharmacists in offering health screening, medicines management, health promotion and education to help reduce the overall burden of chronic diseases

8 Establish regulatory frameworks to maximise the value of the highly accessible community pharmacies network to the communities they serve

9 Ensure that community pharmacists can provide patients with the full range of medicines and medical devices they need

10 Ensure that remuneration for community pharmacists properly reflects their contribution to improving pharmaceutical care, reducing the burden on other health services and supporting the sustainability of health systems.

To read the full press release follow this link.

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European regulation updates

Consultation on the future of midwifery Nursing and Midwifery Council, UK

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has launched a national consultation on new draft standards of proficiency for midwives and draft standards for pre-registration midwifery programmes. These standards set out the knowledge, skills and attributes midwives must have to join the register and practise as a midwife in the UK. The consultation will run until 9 May 2019.

Mary Renfrew, Emeritus Professor of Mother and Infant Health at the University of Dundee has led the project since April 2017. The draft standards have been developed on the best current evidence and the Framework for Quality and Maternal and Framework (QMNC) published in the Lancet series on midwifery (2014) has been used as the foundation for the design and content of the new standards. We’ve also worked in partnership with midwives, women, families, student midwives, educators, employers, other health and social care professions, advocacy groups, representative organisations and many others in drafting these new standards.

The draft standards have a core focus on women and family centred care and the midwife’s role in meeting the needs and preference of all women, their babies and families.

They also emphasise the importance of effective communication and the need for women to receive continuity of care throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Some topics have a greater emphasis than before and several key themes are threaded throughout the draft standards in recognition of their importance. For example, there is a stronger focus on mental health and more detail on the midwife’s role in optimising normal processes and anticipating, preventing, and responding effectively to complexity.

We hope that as many people and organisations as possible will take part in the consultation. We’re hosting a series of events, webinars and twitter chats to help people to learn about the draft standards and to encourage them to respond to the survey. To take part please visit: nmc.org.uk/future-midwife.

After the public consultation, we’ll consider the responses and refine the standards further, before the final version goes the NMC Council for approval. The final standards are expected to be published in November 2019, and education institutions will begin to adopt the new standards from September 2020.

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In December 2018, the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) completed a Review of the literature on Continuing Professional Development on behalf of the UK General Dental Council (GDC).

The research team focused on specific aspects of continuing professional development (CPD) and explored current and future trends of lifelong learning, not only in relation to dentists, dental care professionals and the dental team, but also in other healthcare and non-healthcare professionals who have an obligatory and regulated CPD system (solicitors, nurses, pharmacists, pilots etc.). Research included publications and regulatory systems in

the UK, Europe, Canada, USA and Australia where CPD is highly developed and best practices could be identified.

Results revealed a shift to outcomes-based models with an emphasis on personal development planning, e-portfolios, reflective practice and mentoring. The review highlighted that CPD activities that address the professionals’ individual needs are more likely to promote the sense of ‘’ownership and pride’’ in their continuing educational achievements. Therefore, the aspiration of the regulators must be to create motivation across all registrants to actively pursue meaningful, relevant CPD activities.

To view ADEE’s full press release please follow this link.

In March 2018, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) commenced the roll out of revalidation for pharmacy professionals in Great Britain. This is a momentous change for the sector and, as such, has been developed in full collaboration with pharmacy professionals, professional organisations, charities and patients over a number of years. It has been met with strong support throughout.

Revalidation models are currently used by other health professions throughout the UK including doctors, nurses and midwives. However, pharmacy professions are distinct from other professions, and from each other, so the proposed framework for pharmacy professionals is similar in name, but fundamentally different in design, to other models so that it works well for pharmacy.

There are a range of benefits in asking professionals to revalidate. Indeed it is one of the ways that the GPhC can provide assurance to the public that their trust in pharmacy professionals is well placed. Revalidation builds upon what pharmacy professionals do – as part of their

work and development – to make sure they remain fit to practise through using, maintaining and developing their professional knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. We know that health and social care has changed considerably to meet the changing needs of the population, and it will continue to do so. Revalidation will help both professionals and the regulator to adapt to these changes. To find out more about revalidation visit the GPhC website or watch this short video about revalidation’.

Pharmacists start revalidation The relationship between primary medical qualification and nationality 2017-2018

In November 2018 the UK General Medical Council (GMC) released the working paper The relationship between primary medical qualification and nationality, 2017 and 2018. Since the UK’s vote to leave the European Union (EU) the GMC has been following the numbers of doctors of different nationalities who practise in the UK.

The 2017-2018 working paper is a follow up to the 2017 report that looks at the numbers of doctors of different

nationalities who practise in the UK and the flow of doctors taking up and relinquishing licences. The full report can be found here.

Paul Buckley Director for Strategy and Policy from the GMC spoke on the working paper and the importance of European doctors for the UK health workforce at the recent HPCB conference in Dublin. Paul’s slides can be found here.

Literature review on dental CPD

Paul Buckley addressing the HPCB conference on 4 February 2019 discussing Brexit and the future of EEA doctors working in the UK.

236,732 licensed doctorsin June 30th 2017

10,067 relinquish licenses

226,665 stay licensedinto 2018

242,433 licensed doctorsin June 30th 2018

15,768 take up a license

Flows of licensed doctors between 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2018

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Around the globe

Global: WHO list top ten threats to global health in 2019

Each year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) releases the top health threats facing the global population which helps to inform policies and action plans. The 2019 list includes issues such as infectious disease epidemics and drug-resistant superbugs as well as potentially preventable health problems, such as heart and lung disease. The reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite vaccines being available (termed ‘vaccine hesitancy’) has been highlighted as one of the top 10 threats for the first time.

Read the full report here.

Global: Survey reveals global state of the physical therapy profession

Earlier this year, the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) published data from its latest survey completed by 89 WCPT member organisations. The results have revealed direct access is available in 48 countries and there is no restriction on private practice in 77 countries.

The data provides a global snapshot of the physical therapy profession across the world, showing variations in the density of physical therapists in different countries and between WCPT regions. The WCPT gather the data to evaluate professional regulation, practice, education and the number of employed physical therapists.

Highlights of the 2018 data include:

54% of respondents said there was direct access in their country and people could refer themselves to a physical therapist without a referral

86% of respondents said there was no law preventing private practice in their country

Globally, 60% of physical therapists are women, however this varied from countries where it was as high as 80% (17 respondents) to as low as 40% (four respondents).

Link to the interactive map can be found here.

US: Medical regulatory trends and actions 2018

The US Medical Regulatory Trends and Actions report, compiled by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), provides information about the work of the national’s state medical boards and their mission of public protection.

The report includes national data on physician licensure and discipline, demographic trends and information about licensed physicians, and details about the structure and operations of each of the 70 state and territorial boards.

More detailed information about the activities of specific states is available from individual state boards, which can be contacted using the board directory in Section I of the report or by visiting www.fsmb.org.

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Australia: Paramedics welcomed to the national scheme

On 1 December 2018 paramedics became the sixteenth regulated health profession in Australia under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. Thus meaning that ‘paramedic’ and ‘paramedicine’ title are now protected by law.

Reflecting on the milestone, Paramedicine Board Chair Associate Professor Stephen Gough noted that it was the culmination of many years of debate, deliberation and sustained effort by the paramedic profession to join a national regulatory scheme that has patient safety at its heart.

The 1 December 2018 date marked two years since the COAG Health Council announced its intention to regulate the paramedicine profession, with the inaugural National Board appointed in October 2017. For more information please follow this link.

Events for Nursing Now for 2019 include:

International Council of Nurses World Congress –27 June 2019

UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage – September 2019.

For more information please follow this link.

Nursing Now Groups February 2019

Global: Nursing Now! celebrates a year of success

On 27 February 2019 Nursing Now celebrated its first anniversary. Since its global launch, Nursing Now has launched 158 local, regional and national groups in 75 countries. The graph below (and found here) outlines the growth of the campaign in its first year. In recognition of this success, the British Duchess of Cambridge released a message which can be read here.

In 2018 Nursing Now has successfully lobbied heads of state and ministers at the United Nations on key issues including universal health coverage, primary health care and non-communicable diseases. In January 2019 the World Health Organisation formally supported making 2020 the ‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife’ in celebration of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale.

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Upcoming events

06 June 2019 CEOM meetingTirana, Albania

14 June 2019 European Network for Medical Competent Authorities (ENMCA) meetingWarsaw, Poland

27 June-1 July 2019 International Council of Nurses World CongressSingapore

23 September 2019 UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health CoverageNew York, USA

22 November 2019 European Network for Medical Competent Authorities (ENMCA) meeting Copenhagen, Denmark

Newsletter and Updates

If you would like to contribute a piece to the next Crossing Borders Update please contact the HPCB secretariat.

Health and Care Professions Council (UK)

Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK)

European Federation of Nurses

Federation of European Dental Competent Authorities and

Regulators eNews

General Dental Council (UK)

General Chiropractic Council

European Commission DG GROW

EU-insider

IAMRA newsletter

European Parliament internal market committee newsletter

Professional Standards Authority (UK) newsletter

General Pharmaceutical Council (UK)

European Social Network

Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE)

French Order of Doctors

General Medical Council (UK)

CORU (Ireland)

PSI newsletter

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