MEETING IFCC / EFCCCORFU - 16/20 April 2010

Simone ZERAH

EFCC PROFESSIONAL

COMMITEE

EC4 REGISTER

COMMISION

MEETINGS 2009

CEPLIS General assembly June 2009 Gerard Sanders

CEPLISMeeting of the Professional committee with the direction (T. Koutroubas, A. Bedossa)

September 2009

Mike HallworthJanet Mc MurraySimone ZerahRob Jansen

JIB (Journées internationales de biologie)

November 2009

All members of the EC4 Register Commission

CEPLISMorning: General AssemblyAfternoon: Conference with M. Tiedje ,head of department of Professional QualificationsEuropean commission

November 2009

Simone ZerahJanet Mc Murray

MEETINGS 2010 (January / March)European Commission

Meeting with Mr Tiedje and M. Wiedmann

January 2010

Simone ZerahRob JansenT. Koutroubas

European Commission

Meeting of the evaluation of the Directive on professional Qualifications with the professionals,

with the coordinators

17 March2010

18 March 2010

Simone ZerahRob Jansen

Warsaw25/27March 2010

Victor BlatonJanet Mc MurraySimone Zerah

PARISILAC / IFCC EFCC Participation 11 March

2010Wim HuismanSimone Zerah

CEPLIS• EFCC / EC4RC has membership in CEPLIS.

• We regularly attend the General Assemblies • and participate essentially in the: - WG on Healthcare : Simone Zerah, Janet Mc Murray, Rob Jansen, Mike Hallworth - WG on education :Thomas ZIMA from the Education and training Committee has been nominated by EFCC to join

• They are very helpful to assist us with the European Commission and the CESE

Professional Committee/ CEPLISSeptember 2010

. The Professional Committee had agreed to several approaches with the help of CEPLIS. Firstly,to determine the method of obtaining legal recognition, whether this is for Co-regulation ,a regulation, an act or a law. Secondly, to raise the profession’s profile through lobbying of the European Parliament

Professional Committee/ CEPLIS September 2010

We were advised to write a short paper about Specialists in CCLM and about the discipline, with emphasis on patient safety, which Rob Jansen had since prepared.

The EC4 Register has been placed

on the Self-Regulation database of the European Economic and Social Committee’s Single Market Observatory

(EESC/SMO) (http://eesc.europa.eu/self-and-coregulation/full?ID=121)

The self-Regulation is a « soft-law », a recommendation to the EU countries

by the European Commission

JIB (Journées Internationales de Biologie)November 2009

• Meeting of the EC4 Register Commission

• Booth at the exhibition Hall to promote The EC4 Register

• Speech of the Ministry of the Health and declaration of Michel Ballereau

we need the support of our governments

The French government supports the EC4 RegisterIn the French reform on medical Biology Michel Ballereau wrote  -« … l’intérêt du travail du groupe European commitee (EC4) de biologistes médicaux européens qui conduit un travail d’harmonisation lexicale et de comparaison des formations de spécialistes biologistes pour préciser les équivalences européennes. Ce groupe actif, sous la présidence de la française, le Docteur Simone ZERAH,… mérite d’être soutenu dans son travail avec un investissement de l’administration…. » 

New French Law (13 January 2010)

CCLM is a Medical act The specialist in CCLM is responsible

of the Medical Laboratory

Accreditation is compulsory according to the ISO/EN/15189

Pre-analytical, analytical and post analytical phases with interpretation of results.

Warsaw (report by VIC BLATON)• The presentation of Simone Zerah and Janet Mc Murray

were successful.• Me had very nice round table discussions and

especially on the « directives of the EU » and also on the « platforms »

• The most important needs for the future are:1. The core curriculum for training and education

in the EU2. The name of the profession, unified, like

specialist in laboratory medicine3. The profession is multidisciplinary and needs

more medicine and more science4. Preanalytical, analytical and post analytical phase

in medical decision making.

MEDECINE- PHARMACY- SCIENCES (5- 6 Years)

Training in Clinical Chemistry or Médecine

Training in Polyvalent

clinical Biology(4- 5 Years)

Training in BASIC Polyvalent Clinical Biology (1+ 2 years)

MONOSPECIALISATION (3- 4 years)

BiochemistryHematologyMicrobiologyMolecular Genetics

EUROPEAN SPECIALISTS INCLINICAL CHEMISTRY and LABORATORY MEDICINE

Take home messages of EC Evaluation meeting with professional organizations on

Professional Qualifications Directive Brussels, 17-03-2010 (Rob Jansen)

1. Patient/consumer safety is at the top of the agenda of the European Commission. Make a document on the importance of our profession in relation to patient safety.

2. Contact the contact persons for the Directive in each Member State, identify the Coordinators and contact these on the issue of establishing a Common Platform.

3. Annex 1 of the directive summarizes all professions. It will be up dated. Try to get into it.

4. All professional organizations note the existence of differences in education and training in the Member States. Automatic recognition introduces the risk of recognition of the lowest requirements. Make a document describing the content of education and training for each Member State and a table of additions needed when moving from one Member State to another. Include competences in the training description. Include ethics and patient safety items.

5. Re-start the efforts to reach a Common Platform. Contact the Coordinators to bring forward our case. In the Common Platform the common trunk issue in the training, the differences per Member State, the tools to cope with these, and the continuous professional development are described. It will benefit patient safety.

6. Most other professional organizations experience the same problems. Several strive after a Common Platform. Join forces.

Take home messages of EC Evaluation meeting with professional organizations on Professional Qualifications

Directive Brussels, 17-03-2010

Coordinators

Danuta Czarnecka (Poland)

Céline Nissen (France)

Answers to theEuropean Commission

On Evaluating the Professional Qualifications Directive

Possible list of main topics

1 - EVALUATING THE MOBILITY OF PROFESSIONALS IN PRACTICE

1.1. Importance of recognition of professional qualifications for citizensIf a citizen is mobile in Europe which importance does the recognition of professional qualifications play in relation to other types of obstacles (e.g. language, social security, and residence rights)?Recognition of professional qualifications is the most important. The Directive states that “particularly within health care it is important to have an adequate level of the quality of profession and practice, so that citizens know that health care is offered in their country at a level comparable to other countries.”

1.2. Temporary mobilityHow has the new regime for temporary provision

of services been implemented? To what extent is it attractive for self-employed persons and for workers?

This regime is considered unsatisfactory and unsafe for patients as it bypasses many of the safeguards in the procedures for permanent recognition.

1 - EVALUATING THE MOBILITY OF PROFESSIONALS IN PRACTICE

2 - EVALUATION OF THE DIRECTIVE AGAINST NEW DEVELOPMENTS

It is too early to evaluate as there is not enough data for statistical analysis due to the length of time it has taken to transpose the directive.2.1. Science: sectoral professions To what extent are the minimum qualifications for seven sectoral professions still up to date in view of scientific progress? To which extent is safety of patients sufficiently taken into account in the training of health professions? The minimum qualifications for the sectoral professions (in our case medical specialists in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine) are still up to date. However it is very important not only to have a “minimum”, but also a “high level” of education and training for professionals who are responsible for the health of European citizens.

2.2. EducationSeveral European initiatives in the field of education have

an impact on the way qualifications are obtained and defined (lifelong training/competence based approach to training/European qualification framework).

How do those developments influence the Professional Qualifications Directive?

Is there a link between educational reform and a need for strengthening continuous professional development?

Continuous Professional Development is essential for professionals in health care.

2 - EVALUATION OF THE DIRECTIVE AGAINST NEW DEVELOPMENTS

2.3. Labour market To what extent can the directive help reducing

unemployment in particular for young people? Does the process of recognition of professional qualifications help or hinder the professionals in finding employment in the host Member State?

The process hinders professionals finding employment in the host Member State.

2 - EVALUATION OF THE DIRECTIVE AGAINST NEW DEVELOPMENTS

3 - EVALUATION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

3.1. Common platformsTo what extent are common platforms a workable tool to facilitate migration? The procedures for developing common platforms need to be clarified.To achieve automatic recognition of more professions, professionals and governments must agree on the level of qualifications needed for the profession. Whatever the chosen solution (common platforms, professional cards, etc) it is essential that the professional has the required level of qualifications or can easily acquire it. This is the basis of the European Registers such as the EC4 Register of European Specialists in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

It is difficult to “harmonise” training but it is relatively simple to compare training between member states and to determine what additional training a professional needs to work in another EU member state. Common platforms are the best tool to facilitate migration at the same time protecting patient safety.In health care, it should be mandatory to have the same level of education and training for free movement between Member States.Agreements with realistic compensatory measures are required.

3 - EVALUATION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

3.2. Professional cardsUnder which conditions could a professional card facilitate

migration? Is this a feasible project in a foreseeable future? Should it be limited to specific professions?

Professional cards are an electronic method of recording qualifications and training. They will not solve the problems of comparison of qualifications between the Member States.

3.3. Alternative modelsCould professional organisations provide a valuable

contribution in other areas?Professional organisations can contribute by making

acceptable proposals to facilitate free movement and to protect the safety of patients.

3 - EVALUATION OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Our six priority questions

• Common platforms• Education/qualifications• Recognition of professional

qualifications• Continuous Professional Development• Temporary mobility ( unsatisfactory)• Language

Other actions I) UEMS/EFCC questionnaire :

To try to describe the actual situation in Europe - Concerning the education and training of head of laboratories - The name of specialists in CCLM

Aim: harmonisation : We can Propose compensatory

measures to the EU with the Common Platform The results will be presented in Lisbon (Portugal) 13/16 October

II) EC4 Foundation Board

Mike Hallworth proposed that theFoundation Board should consist

of the same people as the Professional committee

This was supported , taken to the EFCC Executive Board then the General Assembly for approval

III)Equivalence of Standards (EOS)

• Each Country shall provide an equivalence of standard of formation and competence in comparison with EC4 standards

• Each EOS must be accepted by the other EU countries

• 5 more countries had the EOS accepted recently.

EOS of 25 countries are accepted (Malta and Slovakia have no approval)

IV) Seminars

Cyprus and Greece have instituted training seminars, in collaboration

V) EC4 MEMBER STATISTICS (March2010)

13 40 14 3 0 073

1265

103 859 13 6

9612 27 4 0

44139

083

163

13 53 67 70 70 70 143

14081511

1596 1605 16181781 1787

1883 1895 1922 1926 1926 19702109 2109

2192

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Austri

a

Belgium

Cypru

s

Czech

Rep

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Denmar

k

Estonia

Finland

France

German

y

Greec

e

Hungary

Irelan

dIta

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Luxembo

urg

Netherl

ands

Poland

Portugal

Roman

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Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

United

Kingdo

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0

500

1000

1500

2000

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Registrations, March 2010Austria 13 Italy 163Belgium 42 Luxembourg 7Cyprus 15 Netherlands 96Czech Republic

3 Poland 12

Finland 73 Portugal 27France 1265 Romania 4Germany 103 Slovenia 44Greece 86 Spain 139Hungary 9 United

Kingdom83

Ireland 13 TOTAL 2197

ApplicationsThe Dutch society suggested that there

could be a link between the EC4 Register and the National official Registers, on

the basis of EOSAn automatic registration will generate

Increased registrationsWe are working on it as a model with

our webmaster.All ideas are welcome!

VI)Publications• Code of conduct (The European Register for

Specialists in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine : Code of Conduct - Version 2 - 2008. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009; 47(3) : 372-375)

• Le registre Européen des spécialistes en Biologie Médicale.Code de déontologie

(Ann Bio Clin.vol 68. N°1,Janvier-février 2010)

• Guide to EC4 Register Accepted for publication (CCLM)

• Revision of the EC4 European Syllabus for post-Graduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and

laboratory medicine: Version 3 – 2005. Zerah S. et al. Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44(1):110 – 120.

VII) Website

A revision of the website was undertaken in 2009. There is a direct link from the EFCC website to the EC4 website and vice versa.

EC4 Register commission

We need the support of all our

colleagues

On-line application form: www.ec4register.eu

Join us!