Europees kwaliteitskader voor de langdurige zorgdiensten gelanceerd in Brussel (en)

The European Quality Framework for long-term care services was officially launched at the WeDO project’s final conference on 14 November, organised at the European Parliament in Brussels and hosted by Heinz K. Becker, MEP and co-chair of the Intergroup on Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity.

The document is the result of the two-year WeDO project, coordinated by AGE Platform Europe with the help of 18 partner organisations.

"We bear a Europe-wide social responsibility of providing an efficient long-term care system, which guarantees the dignity and well-being of those in need of assistance and care. We have to act now for a secured quality of life in the years to come" stated Mr Becker.

The Brussels event gathered a wide range of stakeholders who are or could be involved in implementing the Quality Framework (policy makers at all levels, research institutes, care service providers, older people’s organisations, carers’ organisations, etc.). "We hope the WeDO EU Quality Framework will be a first step towards making sure people can age in dignity everywhere in Europe, and towards better quality long-term care in the European Union", highlighted Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary-General of AGE platform Europe.

The framework aims to improve the quality of life for older people in need of care and assistance with a set of 11 quality principles and 7 areas of action, recommendations for policy makers and a methodology on how to implement them with a participatory approach. It is inspired by the "European Charter of the rights and responsibilities of older people in need of care and assistance" launched in 2010.

The WeDO project has also led to the creation of an EU-wide partnership of stakeholders committed to the objectives of the Quality Framework and composed of 12 national coalitions led by the project partners. The partnership will continue after the project ends with the aim of monitoring the implementation of the framework in the different countries involved and promote it in other Member States.

The complete document and a 4-pages summary can be downloaded in 10 languages on the WeDO website.