EUROPEAN OBSERVATORY VENICE SUMMER SCHOOL. INTEGRATED CARE: MOVING BEYOND THE RHETORIC
26 July-1 August 2015, San Servolo, Venice

The Observatory Venice Summer School 2015 is a one week intensive course aimed at senior and mid-level policy makers, civil servants and professionals involved in the funding, design and implementation of innovative integrated delivery models suited to the needs of an ageing population.

The Summer School will:
• Provide a state of the art account of the effectiveness and economic impacts of integrated care;
• Explore and discuss existing examples of integrated care approaches and strategies that have been implemented across Europe and elsewhere, stretching from individual pilot programmes to regional and national integrated care strategies;
• Interpret how different integrated care options can be operationalized considering resource, infrastructure and technology constraints in different settings;
• Discuss in a critical manner the place and usefulness of integrated care in a modern health and social care system;
• Draw practical policy and implementation lessons to inform better decision-making on delivery system reform that will positively impact the quality of care given resource constraints.

The six day course includes formal teaching but has at its core the experiences of participants in practice. A highly participative approach emphasizes group work that cuts across themes, participant presentations, round tables and panel discussions. It mobilizes the latest evidence and a multidisciplinary team of experts with a track record in the analysis, implementation and evaluation in integrated care. Course participants will also be able to share perspectives with and gain insights from key international organizations including the World Health Organization, the European Commission and relevant professional and governmental organizations and to engage in political dialogue with senior policy makers. They will be part of the Summer School tradition, which fosters evidence-based policy-making and encourages European health policy debate by raising key issues, sharing learning and building lasting networks.

For more information and regular updates on the programme and lecturers: www.theobservatorysummerschool.org