ASPHER Working Group on Public Health Core Competencies

Chair: Christopher Birt (Division of Public Health Liverpool University, ASPHER EB)
Tel: +44 151 478 1807, mailto:christopher.birt@liverpool.ac.uk

Co-chair: Anders Foldspang (SPH Aarhus University, ASPHER Past-President)
Tel: +45 8942 3181, mailto:af@mph.au.dk

ASPHER’s European Public Health Core Competencies Programme (EPHCC): An Overview


Proposed Work Plan 2010:

Objectives:
To refine further the Phase 2 list of competencies.
To invite those Schools fully engaged in the project to begin dialogue on competencies with their local PH workforces.
To continue to discuss matters relating to PH competencies with health ministries and similar bodies in European countries.
To begin to engage in discussions on competencies senior decision-makers and leaders in health services and in related civil society organisations in Europe.
To start work on the definition of a list of “Masters level” competencies.

Refinement of list of competencies:

Anders Foldspang and Chris Birt will endeavour to complete this by the end of May 2010; this work will take account of the advice and information received at the two workshops held at the end of 2008, and in the light of other advice / information received.

Engagement of Schools with local workforces:

With the assistance of Robert Otok, those Schools which have expressed an interest in involvement in the project will be divided into four sectorised groups, these sectors referring essentially to north eastern, south eastern, south western, and north western sectors of Europe. Within each sector group, member Schools will be invited to confer on where two workshops with local workforces would be held in 2010 (these might be hosted by two of the Schools involved). The assumption is that, in each sector, two Schools would host the workshops, but that all Schools within the sector would participate in both workshops (and in their organisation). The workshops might be held, for example, in June and September 2010.

These workshops will use the list of competencies to emerge from the refinement process already discussed. Schools would be invited to discuss with workforce members a number of competencies relevant to PH scenarios appropriate to the real life PH challenges being addressed by the workforces. They may choose to use the methodology developed in the two workshops thus held (in Maribor and Carluke), or they may choose to develop new methodologies for the workshops. In the workshops the competencies under discussion should be tested for meaning, relevance, duplication, etc., such that the findings of each workshop can be fed into, and inform, the ongoing development of the overall list of competencies. Involvement in these workshops will develop capacity in the Schools participating, enabling their academic staff members to play increasing roles within the competencies project. A further outcome of the workshops is likely to be improved and closer working relationships between the Schools and workforces involved generally, to their mutual benefit.

Following these workshops, a seminar could be arranged for all those participating in them, with a view to the sharing of experiences and lessons learned in these workshops. Such a seminar might be scheduled as a part of the November 2010 Amsterdam Conference.

Discussions with health ministries and similar bodies:

Such discussions were initiated prior to the Aarhus Conference in April 2008. During 2010, Anders Foldspang will endeavour to arrange a conference, which he will host at the Nordic School, at which European health ministry representatives, etc., would be invited to attend to discuss development of PH capacity in Europe, within which an agreed list of competencies would provide a vital component.

Engagement of other stakeholders:

Within the arrangements discussed with other European PH partners, EPHA agreed to arrange and to hold a series of meetings (which might be called “Masterclasses”) on PH competencies with a variety of other stakeholders across Europe. These meetings (at which ASPHER will participate, providing speakers, etc.) will be aimed at senior decision makers in health and related services, and in appropriate other civil society organisations. On the basis of previous discussions, three such meetings were planned for Poland, Hungary and Russia, with the location of three others to be held in 2010 to be agreed later. Discussions will be held as soon as possible with EPHA representatives to update and to confirm these earlier plans.

Preparation of a Masters list of competencies:

During 2010, Anders Foldspang and Chris Birt will begin work on this, taking account of existing work in the field which is relevant (e.g. the list of competencies published by the UK Faculty of Public Health which every UK PH trainee is required to demonstrate before receiving certification allowing them to apply for career posts).

Amsterdam Public Health Conference 2010:

Progress on this project should be reviewed at a special workshop held at the time of this conference. Another workshop, associated with the workshops to be organised by participating Schools, has already been indicated for Amsterdam (see above); these two workshops might be amalgamated into one event, or alternatively could be held as separate events at Amsterdam.

Do academic competencies relate to ‘real life’ public health practice? A report from two exploratory workshops
PJ Whittaker, M Pegorie, D Read, CA Birt, A Foldspang
The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on October 12, 2009
Public health capacity building - not only the property of the medical profession
CA Birt, A Foldspang
The European Journal of Public Health 2009 19(3):232-235