PASQ JA

Duration & date: 3 Years (starting date 1 April 2012) | Status: non-EPF led EU project

European Union Network for Patient Safety and Quality of Care (PaSQ)

About the project

The “Patient Safety and Quality of Care” or “PaSQ” Joint Action (JA) aims to create a permanent platform for future cooperation between Member States in the area of patient safety and quality of care.

Project's Objectives

• To support Member States in the implementation of the Council Recommendation on patient safety
• To initiate cooperation on quality of healthcare
• To facilitate the sharing of good practices in patient involvement

The Joint Action on Patient Safety and Quality of Care aims to support the implementation of the Council Recommendation on Patient Safety (2009). To achieve this, PaSQ will strengthen cooperation between EU Member States (MS), international organisations and EU stakeholders on issues related to quality of health care, including Patient Safety and patient involvement.

The Action builds on the experience of the EUNetPaS project (2008-2010) which established patient safety platforms in several MS. 

Specifically, the Joint Action will map and identify proven, transferable good practices in patient safety across the EU, and implement a selection of good practices in select Member States, according to the principles of the Council Recommendation on Patient Safety (2009). Furthermore, the Action will reflect on principles of good-quality healthcare, and how to facilitate the exchange of good practices on patient involvement in safety and quality of healthcare. The main outcome of the JA will be the consolidation of the permanent network for patient safety, aiming for sustainability beyond the grant period. The network created by EUNetPas will be extended to address quality issues. All 27 Member States have committed to participate in the Joint Action.

Consortium

The project is led by the French Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS). The Action brings together 27 EU Member States, Norway, candidate countries, a number of stakeholder organisations representing various groups – doctors, nurses, dentists, patients, health and hospital managers – as well as international organisations.

EPF’s Role

EPF’s role is at the core of the Joint Action as one of the objectives of the project is to address patients’ empowerment and patient involvement in patient safety and healthcare quality. Our tasks in the work packages of the JA include the identification of existing and proven good practices in patient safety and quality of care focusing on patient empowerment and involvement, and identification of strategies for improving quality of healthcare through patient empowerment and involvement. We are also involved in building network sustainability and effective dissemination.

Impact on the patient community

The Action explicitly recognises the key role played by patients – and their families – in improving safety and quality, whether in hospitals or in the primary care context. EPF looks forward to engaging the collective expertise and experience of our members in the next three years to collect good practices and ensure the patients’ perspective is central to the outcomes of this Joint Action.