After a selection procedure launched last November, six Walloon nursing homes have been selected for a pilot project aimed at improving the quality of life of their residents, regional health minister Christie Morreale announced Thursday.
The initiative comes not long after a report by leading researchers found that those entering Belgian care homes have a 50% greater chance of dying within two years compared to those who stay at home.
Like a Swedish model already in use in Wallonia, the new pilot project aims to promote participatory management, develop an individualised approach to the care of residents, implement a continuous quality improvement process and include nursing homes in a logic of integration of care, Belga News Agency reports.
Stakeholder participation will be key in sector reform
The participation of all stakeholders is essential, which implies a review of their role and the current functioning of the institutions.
“In other words, it is a question of co-constructing a shared and participatory leadership with residents and relatives, thanks to committed, motivated and trained staff,” Minister Morreale emphasised.
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The six pilot experiments will start soon in establishments in Gosselies, Moresnet, Chimay, Jodoigne, Huy and Lessines, and will make it possible to identify best practices as well as the structural and regulatory changes necessary for further deployment throughout the sector.
The nursing homes will be accompanied in the field and trained in this participative management over a period of two years.
Support will be operationalised by AViQ, the Platform for Continuous Improvement of Quality of Care and Patient Safety (PAQS), UCLouvain, ULiège and ULB.
