Health and social care systems across Europe are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities—from demographic change and workforce pressures to technological advances and growing expectations for more integrated, person-centred, and sustainable care. While “transformation” has become a widely used term in health policy and research, what does it actually mean in practice, and how can we recognise when transformation has truly taken place?

This joint Lunch Symposium, organised by the European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS) and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, will bring together diverse perspectives from research, policy, and practice to explore the meaning of transformation in health and social care systems. The session will invite speakers and participants to reflect on what transformation means from their own experiences, the types of system change we should be aiming for, and the outcomes that matter most for people, communities, and health systems.

Through an interactive discussion, the symposium will explore fundamental questions such as: What distinguishes transformation from incremental improvement? How can we balance innovation with implementation? What capabilities and conditions are needed to achieve sustainable system change? And how can we better measure and demonstrate the impact of transformation efforts across different contexts?

Join us for an engaging conversation that challenges assumptions, shares diverse perspectives, and contributes to building a common understanding of what it means to transform health and social care systems in Europe.

Participants will gain insights into:

• Different perspectives on what health and social care system transformation means in policy, research, and practice;
• The distinction between system-level transformation and project-level change;
• The key domains and enablers of sustainable transformation;
• Approaches to measuring meaningful outcomes and impact;
• Lessons from European initiatives supporting health system transformation and implementation.

Speakers

Donna Henderson, Head of International Engagement, Scottish Government, UK

Dimitra Panteli, Lead on Innovation, European Observatory on Health System and Policies

Ana Fullaondo Zabala, Scientific Director, Biosistemak, Basque Country

Stephan Eichwalder, Director of Health System Division, Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Austria

Dr Gregory Martin, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Health Service Executive, Northern Ireland