Interdisciplinary Chair of Primary Care
The Dr. Daniël De Coninck Fund is financing two chairs for university and college consortia: one in Flanders and one in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The aim is to encourage a developing understanding of this area and promote research and innovation.
These chairs will encourage the development and sharing of knowledge in the area of primary care. They are intended to make primary care more visible within research and teaching. Close collaboration between diverse institutions and other key front line players is a requirement to receive support from the Fund.
Funding of 500,000 euros per annum is available over a period of five years for each chair.
Be.Hive
On the French-speaking side, this interdisciplinary chair of primary care has been called ‘Be.Hive’, to reflect the intention that it should develop a collective form of intelligence. It has brought together three universities and three colleges, as well as representatives of health care users, professionals, managers and political leaders. This is the first time these actors have joined forces, pooling their resources, knowledge and skills in order to develop a strong and effective primary care sector in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
The work of Be.Hive is structured around four main axes:
- Structuring primary care in French-speaking Belgium and supporting the creation of a strong, collective and locally anchored vision of primary care (an initial reference document has already been written based on the perceptions of over 6,000 respondents)
- Encouraging the involvement of users in their health and social care and the development of excellent primary care by testing models of community health care
- Enhancing the quality of care for people living in complex situations by adapting the care provided to the life goals of care users and improving interfaces with other forms of care
- Improving the skills and competencies of primary care professionals in order to meet public health challenges (social and health inequalities, chronic diseases, the ageing population etc.)
Academie voor de Eerste Lijn
In Flanders, the “Academie voor de Eerste Lijn” (Primary Care Academy) is a research and teaching network focusing on primary care. Four universities, six colleges, the White and Yellow Cross and the Flemish Patient Platform have joined forces to work in an interdisciplinary way. Their common goal is to strengthen and support primary care in Flanders through research and teaching. The Primary Care Academy works on four main research themes: interprofessional cooperation, targeted care, self-management and neighbourhood care.
These themes are addressed through applied research. The Primary Care Academy works alongside those on the front line to develop specific tools and strategies to support their work. The Primary Care Academy also presents the knowledge that is acquired through teaching. This ensures that knowledge flows into the initial training provided in primary care – the bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by all the partners – and also into professional training in the form of lifelong learning. By meeting the needs for teaching and continuing training in primary care, the Primary Care Academy is helping to reduce the numbers of professionals leaving the health and care sectors.