Newsletter #1
Dear Reader,
We are thrilled to have you with us on the journey of the WELL CARE project! Thank you for your interest as we continue our mission to support mental health and resilience among informal carers and long-term care workers. As the principal investigator of the WELL CARE project, it is a pleasure to look back over these last months and confidently say that our project has had a good start.
These first eleven months have been quite intense indeed, with the setting up of our partnership and methodology. Our participative approach is now on track with regular Blended Learning Networks and External Advisory Board meetings.
We have also made some important progress with the release of a policy report, an analysis of policies, care frameworks and funding schemes that is now available to the public and we have some preliminary outcomes from the mapping of good practices. Findings have already been presented at a series of events, and recordings of some of these remain available.
As we move forward, we will design, test, and refine prototypes. We look forward to sharing more with you!
In the meantime, we hope you will enjoy exploring the latest updates, and we remain at your disposal for any questions.
Professor Elizabeth Hanson,
Principal Investigator
WELL CARE deliverables and outcomes
New Report Release: Examining Policies & Support for Long-Term Care Providers’ Mental Health
We are excited to announce the release of “D4.1: Report on Analysis of Legislation, Policies, Care Frameworks and Funding Schemes” as part of the EU-funded WELL CARE Project. This report, developed under WP4, explores critical questions around long-term care (LTC) in Europe: How do policies and funding impact the mental health of LTC workers and informal carers? What is the role of long-term care in society? And why should we urgently prioritise the well-being of caregivers?
Preliminary findings from the search for good practices
A project milestone has been achieved in the review, selection, and analysis of good practices. The INRCA team successfully led the completion of an ambitious literature review, identifying 242 promising practices internationally. This article provides a snapshot of the preliminary results of what is a pivotal piece of research for the WELL CARE project.
The current demographic transition will lead to an increasing number of people in need of long-term care (LTC), which will in turn call for a growing demand for LTC services and the availability of informal carers and care professionals. Against this backdrop, the European Commission launched the European Care Strategy in 2022 to ensure high-quality, affordable, and accessible care services across the European Union (EU).
Project activities
The BLNs Methodology in Practice: Feedback on the initial series of meetings
Blended Learning Networks (BLNs) are a key method we use in the WELL CARE project to involve our main target groups—informal carers and long-term care workers—along with various stakeholders. There are a total of 87 BLN members involved in the project, with 12 to 25 members per partner country. The BLN members have different roles and operate at local, organizational, or national levels. In addition to informal carers and LTC workers, they also include for example, care managers, trade union workers, HR managers, representatives from civil society and from professional associations and decision- and policy makers.
Updates from the Dutch Blended Learning Network
Since the start of the WELL CARE project in early 2024, the Dutch Blended Learning Network (BLN) has been up and running. Our BLN is organised into a core group of 10 participants and a sounding board of 15 additional members, representing a wide range of stakeholders. The core group mainly consists of informal and professional caregivers, volunteers, and local care administrators, while the sounding board mainly includes representatives from various care organisations and institutions on an organisational level. In principle, the core group meets five times a year to discuss the project’s core themes and interim results. The sounding board typically participates in one session per year, but they are always welcome to attend additional sessions that interest them.
WELL CARE Kick-Off Meeting in Brussels
The inaugural in-person meeting for the WELL CARE project took place in Brussels on February 7th and 8th. Representatives from all partner organizations attended, except the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA).
Over these two intensive and productive days, 14 partners became acquainted and reviewed the project’s objectives, work plan, and expected outcomes. Detailed discussions were held for each work package, focusing on the proposed methods and timelines.
Events
WELL CARE presented at a EU Health Policy Platform webinar
On the 29th of October 2024, on the occasion of the International Day of Care and Support, building on the European Carers Day and World Mental Health Day, the webinar “Stepping up efforts across Europe to promote and protect the mental health of long-term care workers and informal carers: a win-win strategy” took place on the EU Health Policy Platform. Organised in the framework of the “Mental Health in all Policies” Stakeholders Network, led by Mental Health Europe, the webinar aimed to shed light on priorities and concrete actions to support the mental health of long-term care (LTC) workers and informal carers.
Online Seminar “United for Resilience in the Health and Care Sectors”
On the 22nd of October 2024, a webinar entitled “United for Resilience in the Health and Care Sectors: Strengthening Support for Formal and Informal Carers and Leaders” brought together key stakeholders from the health and care sectors to address critical workforce resilience issues. This event was organised in collaboration with the EU-funded Support4Resilience, WELL CARE, and APOLLO2028 projects, with support from the Horizon Results Booster (HRB) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health & Food Safety (DG SANTE) and Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL).
WELL CARE at the International Long-Term Care Policy Network
At the International Long-Term Care Policy Network (ILPN) conference last September, the WELL CARE project was presented in a session chaired by Claire Champeix (Eurocarers), which focused on innovative approaches to supporting carers and LTC workers in Europe. The session highlighted the critical role of EU-funded projects in addressing the growing challenges of demographic changes and the strain placed on carers. The InCARE project pilot in Spain was presented in the same session, as both projects aim to advance sustainable and integrated care practices, which are vital for the long-term health of carers and the broader care system.
Presentation of the WELL CARE project at the European Ageing Network General Assembly in Athens
On September 25, 2024, the European Ageing Network (EAN) held its General Assembly in Athens, welcoming nearly 50 delegates from 18 European countries and beyond. Among the attendees was Katie Smith Sloan, Executive Director of the Global Ageing Network from the United States.
EAN President Jiří Horecký and EAN Executive Director Karel Vostrý presented updates on the organisation’s activities across various European projects. A highlight of the discussions was the introduction of the WELL CARE project, including its current actions and planned outcomes. The project generated significant interest, with most questions focusing on the anticipated “prototypes,” which are set to be a key deliverable.
Policy developments
Country reports on the implementation of the Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care are available online
The Council Recommendation on affordable high-quality long-term care adopted by the Council on 8 December 2022 as part of the Care Strategy invites Member States to take action to improve access to affordable, high-quality long-term care for all people who need it. It also calls on them to address the adequacy of social protection for long-term care, the challenges faced by formal and informal carers and long-term care governance. Member States are encouraged to establish a long-term care coordinator or another appropriate coordination mechanism supporting the implementation of this Recommendation at national level. They are also asked to share the measures taken or planned to implement it, within 18 months from the adoption.
External resources
New report: Mental health challenges in the EU health and social care sector during COVID-19: strategies for prevention and management/ A literature review
A new report commissioned by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) systematically assesses the magnitude of mental health problems among health and social care workers in the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights how certain groups in the sector like frontline workers and women showed higher prevalence rates of mental health problems such as anxiety, insomnia and burnout. It identifies, assesses and categorises interventions from the pandemic for psychosocial risk and mental health prevention and management, compiling a useful, comprehensive guide of good practices and recommendations for stakeholders seeking to increase resilience and preparedness in the sector for similar future health emergencies.