On the 28 June 2016, the International Network for Health Workforce Education will be represented at the Professional Qualifications Safe in Motion conference at the Europe Building in Amsterdam and produced a short report for its members. The conference is hosted by the Netherlands as part of their EU Presidency and will examine possible ways to safeguard patient safety when healthcare professionals can practice their profession in any country in Europe. It will also explore ways to support healthcare professionals, so that they can deliver good-quality work.

The conference is being held in light of the revised European Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications, which entered into force in 2016. Issues to be addressed include the European Professional Card, a new method for recognising professional qualifications (meeting the tight terms in particular has proved challenging) and the new alert mechanism for member states to warn each other about healthcare professionals who should not be allowed to practice. What experiences do the various countries have? What works well and what can be improved?