Press Release: European Health Leaders to Meet in Dublin to Advance Prevention and Early Intervention
The Department of Health will host Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) and Chief Dental Officers (CDOs) from across Europe to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin on the 15 and 16 October for a two-day joint meeting under Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The meeting will explore how prevention and early intervention across the life course can improve people’s health and wellbeing, reduce inequalities and help build more sustainable, resilient and person-centred health services.
Under the theme “The Future Starts Small: Transforming Health Systems Through the Life-Course Approach, with a Focus on Early Intervention and Long-Term Sustainability”, delegates will consider how action at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence to healthy ageing, can improve population health and wellbeing.
The programme will focus particularly on prevention, child health as a foundation for lifelong health, health equity, health workforce optimisation and innovation. It will also consider how to shift from reactive models of care towards more preventive approaches, that invest earlier and deliver better long-term outcomes.
The meeting will bring medical, nursing and dental leaders together, while recognising the distinct contribution of each profession. Dedicated breakout sessions on the first day will explore profession-specific priorities, followed by shared reflections on common priorities and opportunities for European collaboration. The programme will also highlight practical examples of best practice from Ireland and across Europe, demonstrating how equity can be advanced across maternity and child health, adolescent health, community care and healthy ageing.
On the second day, delegates will consider how ambitions for prevention and equity can be translated into action, including through behavioural science and the economics of investing in early childhood. A panel of speakers from across Europe will discuss approaches to child poverty and its lifelong impact on health and wellbeing.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Mary Horgan, said:
“Prevention and early intervention are central to improving the health and wellbeing of current and future generations. A strong focus on child health lays the foundations for lifelong health and wellbeing, helps reduce health inequalities and supports healthy ageing.
“Ireland’s EU Presidency gives us a valuable opportunity to welcome health leaders from across Europe to Dublin to share experiences, learn from one another and identify practical ways to work more closely together.”