The Observatory’s contributions at the 18th European Public Health Conference explored what sustainability means – environmentally, socially and systemically. From making the case for prevention, strengthening the health workforce, developing green and digital skills, and advancing cancer control through cross-country learning, our sessions showed that sustainable systems are those that invest in people, evidence and long-term capacity. In total, the Observatory contributed to 22 sessions, including 2 plenaries.
A strong thread throughout our sessions was equity in access. One workshop focused on improving healthcare access for children with migrant or minority backgrounds, building on our recent work on access to health promotion and preventive services for vulnerable children and adolescents. Discussions highlighted how inclusive policies, appropriate service design and better data can prevent gaps from widening early in life.
Another core strand looked at how care is organized and delivered. Sessions on cancer control, social prescribing, hospital discharge and care pathways showed how delivery models shape whether people receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. In the cancer control session, insights from the OBS-PACE project’s 40 case studies illustrated how cross-country learning can strengthen equity and implementation. Across a number of sessions on the health and care workforce, discussions stressed not only the importance of fair working conditions and skills, but also the importance of strengthening the health and care workforce to withstand multiple crises, such as pandemics, climate change, or democratic backsliding that risk undermining cooperation and trust.
The environmental dimension of sustainability was brought to life in a session on greening healthcare facilities. Panelists discussed greener procurement, climate-smart facility design and the importance of empowering healthcare staff to embed sustainability in their daily work. These conversations connected closely with our work on climate, health systems and the co-benefits of greener healthcare.
Our two plenaries linked these themes back to people and systems: one on investing in the health and care workforce to build sustainable health systems, and another (as participants) on advancing mental health in all policies to protect youth mental health. Together, they underscored that sustainable health and well-being depend on resilient systems, empowered health and care workers and policies that address the wider determinants of health.
Helsinki was also an important moment for the Observatory community itself. The conference brought together colleagues from our London, Berlin and Brussels Hubs, and offered many opportunities to connect with partners from the WHO, the European Commission and several countries, including Austria, Finland and Slovenia. Our bookstand became the center of activity for our colleagues and friends: a busy meeting point where colleagues, policymakers and researchers could stop by to exchange, ask questions and pick up our latest books and policy briefs. We are delighted that all our resources were appreciated by the participants. We also captured short video reflections from colleagues and partners throughout the conference; you can watch them on our LinkedIn channel under #OBSatEPH.
We left the conference with valuable takeaways on how policy can drive change, and how bridging together research and practice is the key to long-lasting change. Across workshops, poster walks, sessions and plenaries, our days in Helsinki were a powerful reminder of our mission to share evidence-based strategies for more future-ready, resilient systems.
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