Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health, who participated virtually in the second interim review, praises the exemplary role of KAP Saar: "Regional initiatives like KAP Saar are crucial for the future of nursing in Germany. They demonstrate that targeted, local measures can have a strong impact in enhancing the nursing profession and combating the shortage of skilled workers. These initiatives should be supported as they help to make the nursing profession attractive in the long term and to attract urgently needed skilled personnel."
The Saarland Minister of Health, Magnus Jung, particularly praises the successes achieved so far in his contribution: "The second interim report has once again shown how successful and purposeful our cooperation has been up to now. A respectful working environment and continuous training create the foundation to motivate and retain nursing professionals in the long term. The various measures of the KAP Saar sustainably improve the career prospects and satisfaction of nursing staff and thus strengthen the nursing profession in Saarland. We are on the right path, and I thank everyone involved for their great commitment. The progress made is a strong indication that together we can strengthen nursing."
At the second interim review of the KAP Saar, the following progress was presented:
· Academization of nursing professions: The planned bachelor's degree program at the University of Applied Sciences for Technology and Economics (HTW) Saar and the master's degree program "Advanced Practice Nursing (APN)" developed by the University Hospital Homburg for 2025 aim to improve the qualifications and career prospects of nursing professionals and create new areas of application.
· Recruitment and integration of international nursing staff: Two new funding guidelines aim to attract more foreign nursing staff to Saarland and integrate them here. Financial and organizational support is intended to assist especially smaller institutions in recruitment.
· Attractive nursing workplace: The new professional regulations and workshops such as "Nursing on Equal Terms" promote a respectful working environment. They strengthen respect in interactions between nursing professionals and other occupational groups, thereby contributing to the quality of care.
· Advanced Training and Further Education: With the financial support of the "Coordination Office of the Non-Profit Society for the Promotion of Nursing Training in Saarland (GFP-Saar)" and the new model project "Training Guides," which will start in 2025, the quality of training is to be improved and the number of training dropouts reduced. The measures also include new further education offerings that prepare nursing professionals for current and future challenges.
· Promoting young talent through nursing campaigns: KAP Saar has launched an influencer campaign and found seven passionate young nursing professionals who are enthusiastic about their profession and want to show it. Under the name "caretastic_7," they plan to publish videos to convey a realistic and positive image of the nursing profession and encourage young people to pursue a career in nursing.
· Interprofessional Training Wards (IPSTA): These training wards are designed for nursing trainees and medical students to learn and work together in order to promote interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare and to create mutual understanding.
· Congress „Young help and care“: The congress for young employees in the healthcare sector offered valuable opportunities for networking and building synergies for future collaboration. Due to the great interest, it is planned to continue the congress regularly to sustainably promote exchange within the industry.
Further information about the KAP Saar
The Concerted Action Care Saar, which was launched in December 2022, aims to counteract the shortage of skilled workers in nursing in the long term and to recruit a total of 4,000 additional nursing staff by 2030. Meanwhile, over 300 people from Saarland’s nursing sector are working in one or more working groups of KAP Saar.
