Support4Resilience 2024

The Horizon Europe “Support4Resilience (S4R): Strengthening resilience and mental wellbeing through the Support4Resilience toolbox for leaders in elderly care” research project was launched on 1. March 2024. The project aims at empowering leaders within the healthcare sector to effectively recruit and retain healthcare personnel in elderly care. This 4-year project, funded with a budget of €6 mill. by the European Union Horizon Europe programme, seeks to tackle the critical shortage of healthcare personnel that much of Europe are currently facing. As the number of seniors over 70 in Europe is expected to more than double by 2050, the demand for a robust and well-functioning health service is more pressing than ever. S4R addresses labor shortages, stress, and burnout in European elderly care by developing a research-based Toolbox to enhance the resilience and mental wellbeing of healthcare workers and informal caregivers. The Toolbox includes three tools: 1) Mapping and identification, 2) Reflection and education, and 3) Reorganization, equipping leaders with strategies to improve working conditions.

Implemented in six European countries and Australia, S4R will undergo process, effectiveness, and cost evaluations to assess its impact. By providing policymakers and healthcare leaders with evidence-based solutions, the project strengthens leadership capabilities and governance structures, fostering resilient health systems in elderly care.

Recent activities

The S4R project had a memorable kick-off in March 2024. Over four days in Stavanger, the team of 14 partners engaged in meetings, social events, and an open seminar with the Expert Advisory Board, all of which provided valuable insights into each project phase. The event achieved its intended effect, which was to foster collaboration, strategic planning, and a shared vision, setting the stage for four years of impactful work on resilience and mental well-being in European elderly care.

The Support4Resilience (S4R) project has made significant strides, completing four literature reviews to establish its theoretical foundation and finalizing context mapping across participating countries. With ethical approvals secured, data collection and recruitment are now underway. Five co-design workshops have refined toolbox content and digital interfaces, while postdoctoral researchers have been brought on board to support toolbox development and implementation. Efforts are also focused on coordinating intervention sites across empirical partners to ensure a consistent and effective rollout. Additionally, the S4R communication strategy was launched, featuring a media kit, branding plan, newsletter, and targeted social media campaigns to boost engagement.

Six months into the project, a productive project meeting was held in Rotterdam in September 2024, emphasizing key findings from the literature reviews on resilience, mental well-being, and intervention effectiveness in elderly care. Discussions also focused on mapping healthcare systems across six countries to gain deeper insight into elderly care structures. Additionally, the team worked on strategizing data collection, refining protocols for gathering quantitative and qualitative information from informal caregivers, healthcare workers, and leaders to ensure a robust evidence base for the project's interventions.

On October 22, 2024, the S4R project, alongside its sister projects WELL CARE and APOLLO2028, and in partnership with Horizon Results Booster (HRB), hosted a joint webinar titled "United for Resilience in the Healthcare Sector: Strengthening Support for Formal and Informal Carers and Leaders". The event focused on strategies to enhance resilience among healthcare professionals, informal caregivers, and leaders, highlighting collaborative efforts to support well-being in the sector. The three projects came together with shared goals, forming a unified project group to exchange knowledge and strengthen the impact of each initiative. This first webinar successfully brought together experts and stakeholders to exchange insights, discuss challenges, and explore strategies for improving resilience and well-being in the sector.

On October 24, 2024, the S4R Stakeholder Panel Meeting brought together key members from Eurocarers (EU), Stiftelsen Pårørendesenteret (Norway), Norsk Sykepleie Forening (Norway), FNOPI (Italy), Asociatia Niciodata Singur (Romania), SuPer (Finland), Rotterdamse Zorg (Netherlands), OCISS (Spain), and the Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Australia). Alongside S4R partners EFPC (Netherlands), ISQua (Ireland), and OECD, they provided valuable insights on strengthening resilience among healthcare professionals and informal caregivers. The session covered project objectives, work packages, and collaboration efforts, while also introducing the stakeholder panel’s mandate and role in context mapping and intervention development. The active engagement of stakeholders from multiple countries ensures that S4R’s interventions and recommendations will be tailored to diverse EU healthcare systems and workforce challenges.

Conference contributions and milestones from 2024

The Support4Resilience (S4R) project has participated in various international conferences, workshops, and seminars to disseminate findings and gather valuable insights for improving elderly care and healthcare resilience.

• As a pre-kickoff event, S4R celebrated Women’s Day with a seminar on Global State of Patient Safety and the Role of Leadership, featuring prominent speakers from Australia, England, Costa Rica, and Norway.
• The S4R team participated in the European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC) 2024 Conference, where they hosted a workshop to gather feedback on improving elderly care, focusing on what should be done less and how leadership can drive change. This provided valuable input for toolbox development and highlighted ways leaders can support de-implementation and reorganization processes in elderly care.
• S4R was part of ISQua 2024 in Istanbul, where the team led a workshop on "De-implementations: What should we stop doing, and how can leaders help?" on September 26. The project was also represented at the 2024 International Resilient Health Care Society Conference in Stavanger. The project was also presented at OECD in January 2025.
• Presentations about S4R were also delivered in summer 2024 at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) and Safer Care Victoria in Melbourne.
• A major milestone for the project was the publication of the Support4Resilience protocol on ISRCTN, making its research methodology publicly accessible.

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