For whom

For health service decision makers HCN supports the development of the corporate social responsibility role of your organisations and shows informed practical ways of joining up regional economies and the health agenda. It also shows your commitment to the health inequalities and health improvement agenda.

For local health organisations such as acute hospitals and primary care organisations, HCN helps inform your commitment to joint working with local government and other partnerships to develop fully engaged communities at both individual and organisational levels.

For regional governments across the EU, HCN promotes greater ownership by regional governments of local health service activities; creating relevant regional centers of excellence contribute to building and maintaining a reputation for supporting the regional knowledge economy. It also provides a means for member regions to promote their expertise, dynamism and creativity.

For regional governments in the newer EU12 member states HCN is timely because it supports building political and organisational capacity for collaboration between health care providers, universities, medical schools, related  research institutes and regional economies. It suggests areas for investment that will produce effective and sustainable results.

For regional economic development agencies and SMEs, engagement with HCN offers a clear basis for simpler, more transparent procurement processes with less bureaucracy, the development of an enterprise aware culture in health service organisations, increasing the skills base in local labour markets and promoting business growth by helping SMEs in your region to become more competitive in wider markets.

For relevant EC Directorates (DG Enterprise & Industry, DG Social Affairs Employment & Equality, DG SANCO, DG Regional Policy, DG Research, DG Internal Markets) the knowledge sharing facilitated by this Network Hub provides a platform for an approach to regional development that cuts across individual DG competencies in order to achieve added value benefits from health sector investment that contributes to sustainable regional development. These include:

• Promoting regional health sector-related enterprise
• Promoting innovation and health-related research
• Strengthening regional competitiveness and economic development
• Supporting improved health status and better health outcomes for regional populations.
• Actively protecting the environment through new health care design and decreasing overall transport miles.