European Partnership for Supervisory Organizations in Health Services and Social Care

The European Partnership for Supervisory Organizations in Health Services and Social Care (EPSO) is an informal group of governmental and government-related organizations involved in law enforcement, supervisory activities, monitoring and accreditation, related to Health Services and Social Care in European countries or regions, including EFTA (European free trade area) countries.

 

EPSO aims to:

• improve co-operation amongst supervisory bodies to ensure the quality of inspection, supervision and monitoring of health services and social care;

• improve the exchange of ideas, outcome of research, information and good practice;

• facilitate the exchange of experience between interested organisations including directives, regulations, standards and guidelines;

• promote co-operation on topics such as education and dissemination of knowledge; and

• as a result of these activities EPSO aims to improve the quality of health care and social care in Europe including EFTA countries.

 

Specifically EPSO is focused on:

• Building up a network by exchange of information and co-operation between European colleagues in supervisory organisations, in order to develop mutual confidence and trust in the resolution of matters of health and social service supervision. In the case of cross border health care of patients as well as health care personnel, the network will facilitate the exchange of information about quality and safety of health care institutions and health care personnel. The members of the network will work together if this is deemed desirable or necessary in the interest of cross-border healthcare.

• Improvement of the quality of supervisory activities in health & social care within the European Community including the European Free Trade Area (EFTA countries) by improving informal and formal exchange of information between European colleagues in supervisory organisations, good and bad practice, outcome of research, promotion of joint co-operation on specific terms of health care, education and dissemination of knowledge and other ways to connect between the supervisory organizations and the organizations involved in quality control on health services as well as connecting individual members in the various countries or regions in order to improve the exchange of ideas and good practice in health & social care in Europe.

• Promotion of the adoption of good practice, in respect of the principle of the European 'home authority'. This involves facilitating the exchange of experience between interested organisations, for example exchange of directives, regulations, standards and guidelines.

• The support of EPSO working groups on specific topics such as Risk assessment methods in healthcare and Social care regulation; Restraints and Coercive methods in Health and Social Care; Economic regulation in Health and Social Care; Partnership of inspectorates working together on methods of inspection; activities such as debates and working group activities on the Ageing and Active Ageing;

• Support and organising of  educational activities based on good practise of supervisory organisations regarding health and social care;

• Conduct and organising  of Peer Evaluation activities in EPSO member countries.