The Members of the Board in This Period Has Been

Report September 2012 – June 2014

The General Council meeting September 20th 2012 in Helsingør elected Kjellfrid T. Blakstad President of EPN; the European Council of Practical Nurses.

Since September 2012 the Board has had three meetings;

January 2013 in Copenhagen

September 2013 in Luxembourg

January 2014 in Copenhagen

The members of the Board in this period has been:

Luxembourg: Adele Lang-Fiorucci, Diane Meurice/Danielle Koob

Iceland: Kristin A. Gudmundsdottir, Birna Olafsdottir

Faroe Islands: Majbritt Mohr

Finland: Tiia Rautpalo, Jaana Dalèn, Jussi Salo/Tea Brusas

Danmark: Poul Møller, Vinni Jakobsen

Norge: Kjellfrid T. Blakstad/ Raymond Turøy, Merethe Krogstad Hoel (Erna Hansen/Signe Hananger)

In the three Board meetings the following topics has been discussed:

·  Part time work

Each country shared their point of view, experiences and policies. Short reports were sent to each other in advance. The country reports showed that the are two main and different cultures in our group; Finland and Luxembourg have a culture for full time work, while the other countries have a culture for part-time work.

On the basis of the presentations from the different countries, a joint statement were prepared for the Board, and it will be presented for the General Council Meeting as well. “Equal terms for shift work and rotation work (rota)”.

·  Changes in staff in hospitals and elderly care

Round the table – reports from all the EPN countries. The Board will prepare a statement for the next General Council meeting in June 2014 on the topic: We want a better recruitment and retention of practical nurses all over Europe. We also want a shift of focus, from the unilateral focus on higher education as the solution to most challenges – to a different view of the practical nurses and their potential of skills development. On this basis a joint statement are prepared for the General Council Meeting; “Recruitment challenges must be met effectively”

These two topics were also very much on the agenda on the Boards study visit in Luxembourg and Belgium Oct 1.-3th 2013.

Attached:

Land reports from all country members prepared to the three meetings in the period.

The board suggests approval of the September 2012 – June 2014.