Background
The European Observatory Summer School programme brings together high level policy-makers in a stimulating environment where experiences can be openly discussed and information freely exchanged. There is some formal teaching but the emphasis is very much on a participative approach. Following the success of last year’s Summer School on “Human Resources”, the focus for 2008’s Summer School will be on “Hospital Reengineering”. The sessions will explore how hospitals interact with the rest of the health and care systems, and with the communities around them, and will seek to determine the relationship between hospitals and other key providers.The Summer School for 2008 coincides with the tenth anniversary of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and will therefore build on comprehensive experience in promoting evidence-based policy-making. The European Observatory supports and promotes evidence-based health policy-making through detailed and rigorous analysis of the dynamics of health systems in Europe.
The European Observatory engages directly with policy-makers and works in partnership with research centres, governments and international organizations to analyse health systems and policy trends. This is done by utilizing an extensive network of policy-makers and experts throughout Europe and beyond, bringing together a wide range of professionals, practitioners and academics.
The Summer School for 2008 is held in collaboration with the Veneto Region of Italy. The Veneto Region seeks to ensure that empirical evidence and analysis reaches national and regional stakeholders and policy-makers. It promotes hospital reform and is involved in comparing health care systems across European Union Member States. The Veneto Region is active in the area of health and it therefore plays a leading role in the European Union in research and policy development. It is also very much at the heart of the WHO Regions for Health Network. The Veneto Region, which has been a partner of the European Observatory since 2004, is hosting the Summer School to promote recognition among policy-makers of the importance of hospital re-engineering and because it is committed to providing a European platform for political debate on health matters.
