These training programmes are regulated by the Healthcare and Nursing Special Task Ordinance (GuK-SV BGBl II No 452/2005) and the Healthcare and Nursing Teaching and Management Duties Ordinance (GuK-LFV BGBl II No 453/2005).

In that context, ‘public health’ should be interpreted as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, meaning all elements related to health, namely health status, including morbidity and disability, the determinants having an effect on that health status, health care needs, resources allocated to health care, the provision of, and universal access to, health care as well as health care expenditure and financing, and the causes of mortality.

Finalise by December 2016 a framework for a sustainable EU collaboration on patient safety and quality of care, also taking into account the results of the ‘Joint Action on patient safety and quality of care’ (PaSQ);

Finalise by December 2016 a framework for a sustainable EU collaboration on patient safety and quality of care, also taking into account the results of the ‘Joint Action on patient safety and quality of care’ (PaSQ).

Improve strategies for patient safety based on the outcomes of the Action called ‘Study on costs of unsafe care and cost-effectiveness of patient safety programmes’ launched by the Commission in collaboration with the Patient Safety and Quality of Care Working Group.

The Gothenburg European Council of June 2001, in its consideration of what is needed to meet the challenges of an ageing society, asked the Social Protection and Economic Policy Committees to prepare an initial report on the challenges of providing health and long-term care for the elderly in the context of an ageing society. This was seen as an addition to the work on pensions described above.