Corporate governance: up to date

Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. Boards of directors are responsible for the governance of their companies. Nonprofit governance is a political and organizational process involving multiple functions and engaging multiple stakeholders. The responsibilities of the board include setting the company’s strategic aims, providing the leadership to put them into effect, supervising the management of the business and reporting to shareholders and stakeholders on their stewardship and to ensure the mission fullfillment and overall accountability.

Having a knowledgeable and engaged board, a board that understands its fiduciary role, its managerial role and depending on the type of institution its fundraising role. is very important specially in public institutions and non for profit.

The Centre for Research in Health and Economics CRES from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra has published recently some policy papers related to  Corporate Governance. 

• Dalmau-Matarrodona, E.; "Bones pràctiques del govern de les organitzacions" Health Policy Papers Collection 2026-4_ED [Download]
• López-Casasnovas, G., Planas-Miret, I.; "La gobernanza de la colaboración público-privada en sanidad. El caso de Catalunya." Health Policy Papers Collection 2026-3_GL_IP [Download]
• Ortún, V.; "Gobierno y gestión de las organizaciones sanitarias" Health Policy Papers Collection 2026-2_VO [Download]
• López-Casasnovas, G.; "Anomalies organitzatives als consells de govern de les organitzacions públiques" Policy Papers Collection 2026-3_GL [Download]

Another interesting paper published in 2014 by Yvonne D. Harrison (University of Albany) and Vic Murray (University of Victoria): Guidelines for Improving the Effectiveness of Boards of Directors of Nonprofit Organizations

photo Jordi Soldevila. Màcula Malèvich de Sant Pau

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Specialty choices among new generation of doctors - insights from a Polish survey study

Currently, healthcare systems around the world are facing serious labour crises, significant shortages, and unequal geographical distribution of doctors. One of the key issues in maintaining an adequate health workforce is young graduates’ choice of medical specialty. Their career choices substantially influence the future balance between different medical specialties. To better align the choices of young doctors with the needs of the healthcare system, we have to understand the differences between doctors who are already working and those who are only just starting. 

Three generations currently dominate the population of doctors in the workforce: the baby boomers (born 1945–1964), generation X (born 1965–1979), and generation Y (millennials: born 1980–1994). Each generation brings its characteristics to the medical profession. The baby boomers are known for working long hours and viewing medicine as a tireless vocation, while generations X and Y are more tech-savvy, value mobility, and prioritize work-life balance.

Doctors currently entering the healthcare labour market (generation Z) were born between the late 1990s and early 2010s. This generation, also known as‘Gen-Z’, differs significantly from older generations in many ways. Gen-Z individuals were born into a world of widespread access to information, largely due to the internet. They are proficient in using modern technologies, more focused on achieving a healthy work-life balance, and are more open to change in their lives compared to the generations of their parents and grandparentts. However, they do not accept the current state of workplace culture and working hours. They strongly desire a life-work balance, flexibility in working conditions, and collaboration in the workplace.

Although they have chosen a medical career, many young healthcare professionals report that their expectations are not being met, especially concerning non-clinical tasks, including the administrative burden. They understand that the success of future healthcare systems is closely linked to the implementation of new technologies, recognizing its potential to reduce administrative workload and work-related stress. Besides salary, autonomy, collaboration, and technology play a crucial role in selecting a workplace (hospital or practice). To attract and retain this younger generation, healthcare organisations need to focus on team collaboration, a friendly working atmosphere, and adapt their work organisation practices accordingly.

In Poland, many specialties are experiencing a ‘generation gap, which requires well-thought-out decisions to compensate for the forthcoming crisis that would become even more serious if doctors at retirement age were to stop working.

This article aimed to provide evidence on the factors that drive young doctors to choose their future specialties, presenting differences between those applying for non-surgical specialties and those applying for surgical ones.

Article: open acces and pdf

photo Jordi Soldevila. Màcules de Barcelona. Màcula simple del carrer Escorial

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The Great Resignation: Why women health workers are leaving

The ‘Great Resignation’ of women health workers is impacting women and health systems globally, with a concerning ‘Great Migration’ trend. This exodus exacerbates the existing health worker shortage crisis, affecting countries striving to achieve universal health coverage.The report published in October 2023 by Women in Global Health explores these issues in depth and calls for gender-transformative solutions to address workforce imbalances.

Countries competing for increasingly scarce trained health workers challenge the principles of global solidarity and ethical international recruitment, enshrined in global agreements like the WHO Code (WHO Code on the Practice of International Recruitment of Health Personnel)

"The WHO Code encourages all member states to act in solidarity, produce sufficient health workers domestically and invest in supporting countries with vulnerable health systems to strengthen their health workforce"

Health workers take years, sometimes over a decade to train, so lead times are long for producing the millions of new health workers needed to fill the gap. The urgent issue now is retaining trained health workers and reversing attrition from the sector.

Replacing domestic health workers with international recruits may just be putting new recruits into the same broken systems that caused the domestic health workers to leave. Coordinated action by governments is needed urgently to address health worker attrition in the short term and plan longer term to fill health worker shortages sustainably without reliance on unethical international recruitment.

The central role played by women health workers in the pandemic, along with the health and psychological impacts they endured in the course of their work, has placed a spotlight on their needs. Gender transformational change is needed to fix health workforce inequities and retain and attract back the women who are leaving. 

Women in the health workforce need a new social contract based on equal leadership, safe, decent and fairly paid work, to enable them to deliver health for all.

Report (pdf): 

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Els Monstres d'Ingres. IV

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When you see your neighbor's beard peeling, soak yours.

The NHS turns 77 this year 2025. Until recently, it has been widely regarded as the “crown jewel” of the British welfare state. Throughout its history, the NHS has achieved significant successes, including providing financial protection against the costs of ill health, incorporating formal assessments of new medical technologies, and delivering generally well-received care once accessed. Moreover, the NHS has been a driving force in medical research and innovation, pioneering advancements in treatments, healthcare delivery, and disease prevention. However, over a decade of austerity funding, compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has exposed its vulnerabilities. The NHS has shown limited resilience to external shocks and appears increasingly unsustainable in the face of growing demand.

Waiting lists are at an all-time high, population health outcomes in the UK are worsening, staff shortages and dissatisfaction remain persistent, and public confidence in the institution is wavering. In short, the NHS is in crisis.

The Labour government has increased NHS funding, but not to a level that several experts—including the LSE-Lancet Commission—deem sufficient to meet rising demands. The government has also announced a new 10-year plan. But will these measures be enough?

This event organized by the LSE last june explored the current state of the NHS, assessed whether the government's responses are adequate, and discussed whether more radical reforms are necessary. The discussion provided both critical reflection and potential solutions to address the crisis.

• Podcast to listen to.
• Video of the event to watch
• Slides and Speakers: to download here.

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Homenatge a Toni Catany Mandarina

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The generational differences: Health systems leaders need to modernize the workplace and workforce practices to reflect the values of younger health care workers.

Why new generations workers are leaving from healthcare sector?

Many younger workers cite toxic cultural dynamics, such as micromanagement, hierarchical structures, and lack of support from leadership, as significant contributors to dissatisfaction and burnout.

Younger health care workers (physicians, nurses, social care, data managers, economists, lawyers....,),  have different values than older health care workers like:

1. Work-Life Balance: Many new workers prioritize flexibility and mental health, yet the rigid schedules and high stress of healthcare roles often clash with these values.
2. Communication Challenges: New employees increasingly seek purpose-driven careers, and closing the loop on communication is crucial. Are new employees instructed on how to communicate?. The practice of medicine is based on human interaction and communication, as well as science. Balancing patient needs inside an environment of mutual respect is the goal. The deskless workforce in healthcare is high-touch, with patient and co-worker interaction at the center of service delivery. Knowing how to build trust and collaborate is key, across all generations.
3. Conflict with Traditional Structures: Many younger employees feel out of sync with the hierarchical and rigid structures common in healthcare organizations, preferring collaborative and innovative environments.

Health system leaders and administrators should consider new strategies to modernize the workplace and workforce practices to reflect the values of younger health care workers.

• Create an environment to report instances of discrimination, inequalities, and racism quickly and anonymously.
• Develop equity-centered hiring and retention practices. Including (DEI) practice: diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employees want to work at organizations that prioritize DEI practices.
• Design a healthy environment that prioritizes employee wellness. Early-career health care workers who began working during the COVID-19 pandemic endured unprecedented stress and pressure that likely influenced their outlook. Both early-career and longtime health care workers increasingly report feeling burnt out; health care leaders need to create work environments that support overall wellbeing and make workers feel heard and valued. 
• Promote empathy among the managers and leaders to understand the concerns, feelings, and thoughts of their teams.
• Provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Create a specific mentoring programms to increase awareness regarding gender, young and old, diversity, equity, and inclusion in an organization.
• Support its employees at every step in their career and promote also the accountability at every step: “Accountability breeds response-ability.”― Stephen R. Covey.

Source: 

1. Morenike Ayo-Vaughan and Laurie Zephyrin, “Young Health Care Workers See More Discrimination in the Workplace, Leading to Added Stress and Burnout,” To the Point (blog), Commonwealth Fund, May 29, 2024. Blog

2. Forbes 2024

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Seqüència Xostakòvitx. Quartet número núm  8,

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Managers in health care sector

Key ideas:

• The necessary skills of healthcare managers involve planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluation skills.
• Management skills are focused on the use of organizational resources but they also have to center on the mobilization of the members of the organization.
• The good healthcare manager provides trust and confidence to staff and appreciates staff efforts.
• Communication and critical thinking skills, relational and organizations skills for healthcare management, were seen as essential competencies for development.
• Additional skills to manage subordinates and coordinate with top-level managers is necessary: like self-awareness, change management, and conflict resolution.
• Clarity on the roles and responsibilities of existing and new professionals working in healthcare is necessary.
• Interprofessional healthcare management can resolve the issue of superiority and inferiority among healthcare professions – medicine, nursing, allied health including laboratory and pharmacy, among others. It reinforces humility and teamwork while acknowledging the importance of each profession for the improvement of health.
• If a healthcare manager knows how to lead himself, it then becomes easier for him/her to familiarize and knowing more both the members and the organization well.
• Well-managed staff can lead to well-managed patients.
• Management skills can impact positively on patients’ health outcomes.
• Healthcare management is a profession

Bayot ML, Varacallo MA. Management Skills. [Updated 2023 Sep 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. 

Article

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Màcula de la “L” de l’espai Serrahima

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Research on Integrated Care Systems: workforce

Integrated care systems (ICSs) were given statutory powers and new legal responsibilities for the first time in July 2022 in UK. 

These changes were intended to increase collaboration in the health and social care sector and to enable the NHS, local authorities and other partners to take collective responsibility for improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities, delivering better value for money, and driving local social and economic development. 

This research examines the development of ICSs by assessing their efforts to develop system-wide approaches to the recruitment, training and retention of staff. Workforce issues such as these are currently some of the biggest challenges facing the health and care sector, and require a co-ordinated response from multiple organisations of the kind that ICSs were designed to enable. 

Leading system-wide transformation is slow and the work is hard, but there are clear signs that progress is being made. 

The research identified six distinctive ways in which ICSs are adding value: ◦ organising around a shared purpose ◦ building system leadership ◦ encouraging system-focused behaviours ◦ scaling and spreading success ◦ using resources more effectively ◦ managing complexity. The degree which this is happening varies across systems. 

Despite signs of progress, there is a clear risk of ICSs going ‘off track’ as a result of pressures on services, intense political scrutiny, and extremely difficult economic circumstances – and the effect these conditions are having on the behaviours of leaders locally, regionally and nationally. There is widespread concern that ICSs may not achieve their full potential unless more is done to create an environment conducive to their success. 

The research suggests that success relies primarily on supporting people to think, plan and act in ‘system-focused’ ways. If this is to happen, different behaviours are needed at all levels of the system. National bodies need to create a more enabling environment and ensure that accountability and funding mechanisms support system working. Local leaders need to model system working in their relationships with partners across the system. 

There is considerable interest in how ICSs are performing and there is a danger that attention focuses on the things that are easier to measure. The research suggests that the less visible work of supporting people to work together differently is critical for success and must not be undervalued. The ability to do this well is one of the key factors that will determine whether ICSs succeed in delivering better population health and more joined-up care for people using services.

Kingsfund report ICS, 2024

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Iteració de les portes tancades

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València. Building Disaster Resilience: A Systems Approach to Leadership Communication

 

This commentary published by Rand  by Millard McElwee and Monika Cooper last November the 4th (2024), can serve the Spanish authorities (local, autonomous communities and national) to reflect on how to improve the communication of possible disasters such as the one that occurred in València.

Some thoughts: 

"The future of disaster resilience requires us to learn from past political failures, such as the response to Hurricane Katrina, where the lack of clear communication and cohesive narratives deepened mistrust and fragmented communities. 

The inability to align messages across federal, state, and local levels not only delayed critical aid but also exposed the consequences of failing to address social and political divides. 

To move forward, policies must integrate AI and green infrastructure with a focus on rebuilding trust through transparent, unified narratives that guide communities in understanding risks and empowering them to act. Only by bridging these divides can the resilience needed to confront future climate threats be built".

Acces to the commentary: Building disaster resilience

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Geometries de la injustícia

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Yes, Minister

Yes, Minister is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988.

It is a satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with Civil Service bureaucracy and political machinations as he tries to get on with government business

Video: Funniest moments 

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Human resources in the National Health System. SESPAS Report 2024 (part 3)

The Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration publishes in Gaceta Sanitaria its biennial SESPAS 2024 Report, which shows a series of artices analysing the current situation of the National Health System in terms of Human Resources.

• Pay for performance in public directly managed healthcare centers. Part 1: General framework.  José-Ramón Repullo y JM Freire

• Pay for performance in public directly managed healthcare centers. Part 2: The Spanish National Health System.  José-Ramón Repullo y JM Freire

• Dual practice in the Spanish health system: problem or solution? Ariadna García-Prado, Paula González

• Recruitment, selection and retention of health professionals in indirect management and private management entities Olga Pané Mena y Pau Gomar Sánchez

• Health and well-being of healthcare workers: employment and working conditions beyond the pandemic Fernando G. Benavides et. al

Video: Rosa Urbanos entrevista a J.R.Repullo y J.M Freire

Video: Vicente Ortún entrevista a R.Meneu, O.Pané, P. González, P.Gomar 

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Geometries de la injustícia. Navalni

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Human resources in the National Health System. SESPAS Report 2024

The Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration publishes in Gaceta Sanitaria its biennial SESPAS 2024 Report, which shows a series of artices analysing the current situation of the National Health System in terms of Human Resources.

• Human resources in the National Health System. Medical education. Felipe Rodríguez de Castro, Teresa Carrillo Díaz, Arcadi Gual i Sala, Jordi Palés Argullós
• Experiences in human resources planning for health: The case of physicians. Data and models. Patricia Barber Pérez, Beatriz González López-Valcárcel
• What do we know and what should we know about the imbalances of doctors in Spain? Diagnosis and proposals. Beatriz González López-Valcárcel, Patricia Barber Pérez
• Shortage of nurses in Spain: from the global case to particular situation. Paola Galbany-Estragués, Pere Millán-Martínez
• The challenges of human resources governance in public healthcare. Javier Hernández Pascual

Press conference video

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Homenatge a Toni Catany. Plats vells.

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CEO Life Cycle

No leadership position has a greater impact on an organization’s success than the CEO. Very little data exists on how CEOs tend to perform over time; CEOs, often fill the knowledge vacuum with anecdotes, assumptions, and rules of thumb.

When someone asks CEOs about the ideal tenure for the role, many mention seven-year average. They often argue that it takes minimum five years for a CEO to make a difference in their organization, to change things.

But the reality specially in the public companies is much shorter than that. The average tenure for the C-suite executives in public sector, in general, is 4.6 years. In the English NHS the average is 3.8 years. We have no data from Spain niether from the Catalan Health Service. 

CEOs in the NHS system have short tenure. 

 

To better understand the typical course of value creation over a leader’s tenure, Spencer Stuart launched what they call they CEO Life Cycle Project

Article: The CEO life-cycle

The study reveals a surprising pattern of headwinds and tailwinds that CEOs are likely to face during their years in the role and upends some common views about CEO tenure and value creation. For example, it suggests that some boards part ways with a strong CEO too early after a predictable and often temporary performance slump, while others tolerate a mediocre performer for too long.

Rarely do any two CEO tenures look alike. Each leader is on his or her own journey and faces very specific circumstances. Still, by comparing CEO performance on the basis of years in office rather than calendar years, and by viewing a composite of individual journeys, they have identified five distinct stages of value creation that many CEOs will experience during their tenure

• Year 1: The Honeymoon
• Year 2: The Sophomore Slump
• Years 3 to 5: The Recovery
• Years 6 to 10: The Complacency Trap
• Years 11 to 15: The Golden Years

CEOs in the NHS are underpressure by their politicians who have come adept at exerting outsize influence and keeping directors on their toes.The CEO life cycle gives executives, members of the boards and also politicians a common language about potential risks and opportunities at each stage. It can help boards view performance in a larger context and avoid overreacting in moments of doubt "like a political election" —or tolerating mediocrity for too long. It can also help to identify an optimal moment for the leader to step down (if he can).

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Els Monstres d'Ingres. La hipocresia 

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Leadership skills necessary to improve coordination across primary, community, social and hospital services

The health needs of the population are changing, and many people need more co-ordinated care across primary, community, social and hospital services. More co-ordinated care requires organisations and staff to collaborate well across organisational and professional boundaries.

Effective working across organisations means adopting new practices to navigate challenges such as conflicting organisational goals, competing institutional norms and rules, and any perceived loss of power or resource.

The report conducted by Kings Fund draws on interview and survey data from senior leaders working in integrated care boards, NHS providers, local government and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and shares insights and evidence about how to collaborate well.

The research shows health and care leaders at all levels have a critical role in modelling and rewarding collaborative behaviours but this is insufficient on its own. Leaders also need to pay attention to six leadership practices if they want to build a stronger collaborative ethos.

1. Creating a safe, inclusive and trusting environment in which everyone can contribute fully – leaders need to look at problems from perspectives beyond their own. This means leaders need to be open and trusting, to connect with others and create different spaces in which people feel safe to contribute and be heard; to listen to and value others’ contributions and ensure others do the same. 
2. Building healthy relationships – this requires sustained effort but adopting a more relational way of working based on humility, respect and trust strengthens connections between organisations and individuals leading to increased staff engagement and more co-ordinated services.
3. Developing a shared purpose and shared group identity. It is important to clearly set out the shared purpose around why organisations or/and professional groups are working together and create a shared group identity to promote engagement across the collaboration and to address any power differentials
4. Actively managing any power dynamics – so no organisation or professional group dominates. Introducing processes that create a more open and participatory environment can also be useful to enable individuals to think differently. 
5. Surfacing and managing any conflict – in collaborations you are working with different views and ideas, sometimes these will turn into conflict. It is important to approach any conflict with an open and curious mind, rather than turning away from it. 
6. Developing shared decision-making processes – designing transparent processes that enable all key organisations or groups to contribute to a decision produces a range of benefits, although it takes longer. Benefits include greater ownership over the decisions adopted and strengthening trust across a collaborating group.

This style of working is hard especially in a resource-constrained environment. The report recommend leaders give greater attention to designing more participatory processes and developing the collaborative skills of other groups of staff. Also recommend leaders extend the practice of collaborative leadership to work with a broader range of local organisations as well as local communities.

Access: Article (pdf)

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Retrat de família. Homenatge a Toni Catany

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Organizational change

This research by Noora Jansson from ouluhealth scrutinizes organizational change by combining discourse and practice approaches. A case study at a public university hospital is conducted with a narrative analysis method.

The key finding of this research is that discursive practices are involved in organizational change through discourse phronesis. Discourse phronesis is a socially and contextually developed phenomenon, and hence discursive practices are particular within context. The case study revealed four particular discursive practices as examples of discourse phronesis: field practices, mandate practices, priority practices and word practices.

The results of this research advance awareness of the concealed power within discursive practices and, more importantly, invite practitioners to pursue the intellectual virtue of discourse phronesis while implementing organizational change. Discourse phronesis may be utilized as a gateway to advance change goals and to translate various discourses and actions that otherwise might remain unexplained.

Download Article full text (pdf)

This post was inspired by an article published in a newspaper by Xavier Marcet about the complexity to undergo a transition or change in an organization.

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Homenatge a Toni Catany Final

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Health Care 2030: the transition from hospital-based systems to primary care, community, and social care–based systems.

Health Care 2030: The Coming Transformation (2021) by Eyal Zimlichman, Wendy Nicklin, Rajesh Aggarwal, and David W. Bates

The problems in our health care systems include subpar quality and patient safety, a misplaced focus on acute care rather than on prevention and population health, inadequate person centeredness, and unsustainable cost.

The next decade will see considerable transformation in how health systems are designed, propelled by opportunities such as digital health, growing consumerism, and mounting financial constraints.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also necessitated and accelerated significant transformations.

The authors discuss gaps and barriers in the current design of health and health systems, and the needed escalation of transformation including transition from hospital-based systems to primary care, community, and social care–based systems.

They also assess the future evolution of payment systems leading toward sustainable health, changes in provider roles, and the entrance of new nontraditional players

Photo Jordi Soldevila. Homenatge a Toni Catany Austeritat

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Generational conflict: what works for one generation will not work for all generations

A Study of Generational Conflicts in the Workplace. Steven H. Appelbaum, Anuj Bhardwaj, Mitchell Goodyear, Ting Gong, Aravindhan Balasubramanian Sudha, and Phil Wei (2022) Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Access Article (pdf)

This article reviews research around generational differences and examines the causality between these differences and conflicts usually happening at the workplace. 

The conflicts can be defined as 

• Value-based: Each generation has different views and work values that motivates them 
• Behaviour-based: 
• conflict comes from how each generation communicates. Research has shown that different generations do not communicate with each other
• conflict comes from the differences in the expectation of feedback. Gen Y requires constant feedbak on their work
• Identity-based.
• conflict arises when differences exist between the ways one generation sees their own identities and the identities of other generations
• conflict originates form the general sense of wanting to belonging to a group of by comparing themselves to other groups.

These generational differences also affect managers’ strategies when dealing with conflicts at work. Morton Deutsch’s theory of cooperation and competition is often used for organisations to understand the nature of conflicts, and the Conflict Process Model can be used to examine how conflicts can evolve. 

Studies show that once a generational conflict is identified and understood, organizations can mitigate and resolve the conflict by developing mentorship between the parties involved to embrace generational diversity. Various components of the HR activities should also be altered to adapt generational differences for an organization to attract and retain talents. However, some studies raised debate about the causality between generations and behavioural characteristics at work and argued the necessity of managing conflicts caused by generational differences, raising concerns that attributing conflicts to generational differences potentially oversimplifies the problems.

photo Jordi Soldevila. Màcules de Barcelona. Constel.lació blava

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Trust in public institutions and the Code of Ethics of the public service in Catalonia

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs provides thought leadership through its UN DESA Policy Briefs series, presenting timely and relevant analysis and policy guidance on global economic and social issues. Here we present the policy brief #108

Trust in public institutions: Trends and implications for economic security
The legitimacy of public institutions is crucial for building peaceful and inclusive societies.

While levels of trust in institutions vary significantly across countries, opinion surveys suggest that there has been a decline in trust in public institutions in recent decades.

Economic insecurity—which the COVID-19 crisis threatens to exacerbate—and perceptions of poor or corrupt government performance undermine the social contract and are closely linked to declines in institutional trust. Rebuilding public trust in the light of the current crisis demands services that work for everyone and jobs that provide income security, as well as more inclusive institutions.

Policy brief #108

The Code of Ethics of the Public Service of Catalonia

This code, was approved in october 2021 and constitutes a common ethical framework for all the people who work in the respective administrations and public sectors (politicians, civil servants, managers, advisers,...) as well as those who work in private organizations and entities that carry out effective public services on behalf of the administrations.

The main objective of the Code is to guide the actions of public servants from the key of values, thus strengthening the integrity of their actions and thus helping to promote the improvement of public service, the improvement of democratic quality, and the recovery of the confidence of the citizenship in its institutions.

Catalan government web: Ethics code

photo: Una habitación donde siempre llueve (Barcelona) Juan Muñoz

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Economic leaders call for gender equality in pandemic recovery, june 2021

"Only if we seize on this opportunity to prioritise gender equality can we build a more prosperous world for all"

LSE Director Minouche Shafik has joined leaders from the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, World Trade Organisation, European Commission and United Nations to call on governments around the world to prioritise gender equality as they seek to recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.

The statement, published by LSE and shared by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has been signed by:

• Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
• Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
• Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
• Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation
• Minouche Shafik, Director of The London School of Economics and Political Science;
• Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa.

Within the statement, these leading figures highlight how women and girls from all parts of the world – both rich and poor – continue to face significant inequality, and bear the heaviest cost in times of economic hardship:

“From accepting gender pay gaps, to neglecting childcare, governments have not prioritised their needs. The result is a feeble, patchwork economic infrastructure - particularly in fields such as caregiving, retail, and tourism, where women are disproportionately represented - that leaves women struggling...

This inequality, they argue, has made countries weaker when faced with a crisis like a pandemic. But the response to COVID-19 also provides an opportunity to accelerate progress towards gender equality, and build stability and opportunity for everyone.

Three key policy areas
The statement calls for governments to focus on three key areas, “…to ensure that economic recovery prioritises women and girls, underpins an inclusive future, and ensures the world is prepared to withstand the next crisis.”

1. Governments must ensure that money, stimulus efforts, and social protection schemes get directly into the hands of women.
2. Countries must close gender data gaps and strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and data systems to support more effective public policy.
3. Governments must reduce the burden of unpaid care work and support better childcare to strengthen women’s labor force participation.

The statement concludes with a warning, “We have no time to waste … The risks of inaction cannot be overstated. Refusing to economically support women and girls will not just set this recovery back, it will leave our economies more vulnerable to future shocks.

Acces to the Full Statement (pdf) 

photo: Salvem lo Montsià rocblackblock

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How to build effective teams in primary care

 

Teamworking is fundamental to the future of general practice. Practices are coming together at scale in primary care networks and new roles are being introduced, creating multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams. Making these teams function effectively is a complex task. King’s Fund published a guide with insights from research, policy analysis and leadership practice.

What are the fundamentals of effective teams?

• A small number of meaningful objectives
• Clear roles and responsibilities among team members
• Reflect on how the team is working together
• Introduce new roles into the teams
• Create a multidisciplinary team
• Ensure good communication within your teams.
• Effective information-sharing systems
• Re-design the physical space into shaered working spaces
• Clinical supervision
• Gather feedback from colleagues and patients
• Access to learning and development
• Give space for team members to talk about their experiences

Access Publication: Effective teams in General Practice (january 2020)

Merry christmas and happy new year 2021. Stay safe.

photo: Children’s Christmas play, 1958. (Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection) ______________________________________________________________________

Alert: health care professionals and stress impact during the COVID-19

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the front lines against COVID-19 may face increased workload, and stress. Understanding HCPs’ risk for burnout is critical to supporting HCPs and maintaining the quality of healthcare during the pandemic.

Large numbers of healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the frontlines against COVID-19 face high adversity, workloads, and stress, making them vulnerable to burnout.

• Burnout: Defined as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal achievement, is known to detract from optimal working capacities, It has been found to be driven by high job stress, high time pressure and workload, and poor organizational support.

We present a preprint article: Factors Contributing to Healthcare Professional Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Turnaround Global Survey (2020)

Method: To assess exposure, perceptions, workload, and possible burnout of HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic the authors conducted a cross-sectional survey.

The main outcomes and measures were HCPs’ self-assessment of burnout and other experiences and attitudes associated with working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Burnout was associated with:

• Work impacting household activities
• Feeling pushed beyond training
• Exposure to COVID-19 patients
• Making life prioritizing decisions
• Lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Limited organizatins support

Implications: Athough the results have multiple limitations including a non-validated questionnaire, minimal demographic data collection, and sampling method using social media the institutions should put the emphasis in support these individuals as they face enormous stress that can negatively impact their emotional and physical well-being.

Some actions that proactively instituions should do:

• Develop a resilience training: resilience refers to an individual’s ability to handle stress and recover quickly from the effects of adversity
• Cut drastically the belief of  HCP feeling that their organization doesn’t value their well-being.
• HCPs should feel secure knowing that management care about them and the management are doing as much as possible to handle with the adverse situation
  
• Support for HCPs’ families,
  
• Provide PPE,
  
• Provide mental health resources

Acces to the preprint article (pdf available)

Final article

photo: Life

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