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Description
No health protection system is going to function well without a professionally operating patients'' organisations. Robust and energetic organisations are the guarantee of higher social awareness in the field of health, bring actual help to patients in their everyday challenges with illnesses but are also engaged in the dialogue on health care in Poland. Patients'' organisations are the only stakeholder engaged in interactions with all participants to the health care system: from regulators, through physicians and doctors, health services providers and payers to patients themselves. The project implementation is going to enhance the professionalism of the organisations when it comes to communication, image, good management and transparency. The project deliverables are going to be used in the long-term perspective in the subsequent activities not only on the part of the applicant but first and foremost - of the trained organisations. “Coalition for Health" is the scheme addressed to patients'' organisations Poland-wide with special consideration of small or emerging organisations. The project is the reaction to the needs of the community and is supported with a profound analysis and through a cycle of audits, developing and launching the charter of rules for good management of patients'' organisations, launching an expert support centre and trainings intended specifically for those organisations, it will contribute to building a strong position and increased efficiency of those organisations'' activities in the health protection sector. The project is enhanced by extensive partnership with the biggest patients'' coalitions in Poland by dint of which it will contribute to strengthening of the coalitions network and consolidation of the patients'' organisations community. Partners are going to be engaged in the developing the charter and its implementation within their member organisations and are going to promote all activities addressed to patients'' organisations.
Summary of project results
Patient organizations are the only stakeholders interacting with all participants of the healthcare system: from regulatory bodies, physicians, service providers, and payers to the patients themselves. Due to the specificity of organizations operating in the health sector – working for the benefit of particularly vulnerable beneficiary groups and a much higher potential for conflicts of interest due to frequent funding by pharmaceutical companies – it was essential to conduct a series of audits to identify the most sensitive aspects of managing such organizations. Based on these findings, appropriate guidelines were developed. Another crucial issue related to the functioning of patient organizations is the support of this sector.
Therefore, the project focused on two main types of activities: conducting audits and developing management standards for patient organizations, along with competency-building and supportive measures for their daily operations. The project was directly targeted at patient organizations and indirectly impacted patients themselves. Training included a series of six webinars available online and an additional three in-person workshops. The use of modern tools enabled a wide range of patient organizations to participate in the project. Through a series of seven audits, the development and implementation of a Code of Good Governance, the establishment of an Expert Support Center, and dedicated training sessions, the project contributed to strengthening the position of organizations within the healthcare sector (e.g., establishing the Council of Patient Organizations under the Ministry of Health, adopting a strategy for cooperation between the Ministry of Health and NGOs, and involving patient organization representatives in the National Bioethics Committee at the Agency for Medical Research).
As part of the Patient Organization Support Center (CWOP), organizations were able to access professional assistance free of charge. CWOP also served as a helpdesk for NGOs facing challenges with implementing the Code and self-assessment questionnaire. Within CWOP, seven new websites were developed for organizations, 113 graphic design projects were completed, and 215 hours of expert advice were provided (legal, GDPR, IT, translation, NGO expertise). The Code was implemented in over 100 NGOs.
Thanks to broad partnerships, a key outcome of the project is the strengthening of coalition networks and the consolidation of the community. In total, over 300 organizations benefited from the project activities, and the results will be utilized in the long term not only by the applicant but also by the organizations that participated in the program.