The European Health Innovation Collaborative

The healthcare journey can be long and painful. Those on the receiving end are sometimes heard to complain about long waiting times, poor communication, a lack of kindness and treatment episodes which did not go too well. Similar, clinicians speak about poorly-prepared patients who are rude and fail to follow instructions. Tensions can arise between colleagues and also with health service managers. How can we move forward in a positive spirit of cooperation? Could sharing experiences help us all understand each other better?

We invite you to bring your lunch and join this informal moderated debate. With such a multi-disciplinary audience, we are likely to hear a diverse range of views. This is not a ‘finger pointing’ exercise nor an opportunity to blame, but to increase understanding, one of our main aims at EuHIC!

Speaking on behalf of healthcare professionals is Dr. med. Christine Oesterling. Christine trained as an Internist in Berlin and is now a partner in a busy London primary care practice with an interest in teaching and research. Working on the front line, she will explore issues such as coping with large patient numbers, managing increasingly complex health problems and interacting with colleagues across different specialties.

Ronny Allan is representing patients and their relatives. Ronny is a patient himself, living with neuroendocrine cancer (give him a google!). His entertaining blog, based on his day-to-day experiences has helped many people in similar positions.

Our moderator will be Prof. Dr. med. Rajan Somasundaram, head of the emergency department at the Charite Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin and a widely-recognised specialist in hepatology and emergency care. Rajan is a great communicator and will try and keep order.