Date: 2008-06-23

The Chairman of the European Region of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (ER-WCPT) welcomed all the delegates from the Member Organisations, the President of the WCPT, Marilyn Moffat, and the Secretary General of the WCPT, Brenda Myers, to the 6th General Meeting (GM) of the ER-WCPT.

 
Antonio Lopes, Chairman of ER - WCPT

The President of the WCPT, Marilyn Moffat, thanked the ER - WCPT for the opportunity to address the GM. She started briefing the meeting about the history of the WCPT since its foundation in 1951 till the present time with its 101 Member Organisations.

President of the WCPT, Marilyn Moffat

The General Secretary of the WCPT, Brenda Myers, thanked the Executive Committee for the invitation to attend the ER-WCPT GM and informed the meeting about the new WCPT website. The new website would be the main portal for exchange of information on Physiotherapy among Member Organisations and individuals. The website had been developed with an attractive design, user friendly characteristics and with discussion forums that would allow networking and also bring individual physiotherapists together to share information.

General Secretary of the WCPT, Brenda Myers

The Chairman highlighted some of the major achievements of the Region during the past two years among others:

• EU Projects Granted under the Health Programme 2003 - 2008 (Pain in the Back and Staying Clean)
• Conference on Clinical Guidelines held on 10 – 11 November 2006, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
• ER-WCPT membership of the Guidelines International Network (GIN) Membership
• Participation at 2007 WCPT GM and World Congress
• 2nd European Congress on Physiotherapy Education planned to be held on 25 – 26 September 2008, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Chairman Sigrun Knutsdottir (Iceland)

• EU Matters
• Migration issues
• Enlargement of the EU
• Health issues in the EU
• Legislation and Directives in the EU

Chairman Antonio Lopes (Portugal)

• Education Matters
• Update the European Physiotherapy Benchmark Statement
• Updating of the Policy Statement on Physiotherapy Education
• Gather information on whether education in physiotherapy is given according to Evidence Based Practice/Physiotherapy
• Quality Assurance measures in Physiotherapy Education
• Continuation of the Project on Specialisation
• Continuous Professional Development
• Cooperation with ENPHE
• 2nd European Congress on Physiotherapy Education

Chairman Dagmar Pavlu (Czech Republic)

• Professional Issues
• Clinical and Multidisciplinary Guidelines
• European Core Standards
• Continuous Professional Development
• Network on prevention and promotion of healthy lifestyles

Regional Representative Emma Stokes (Ireland)

• Regional Representative
• Twinning and Networking in the ER-WCPT
• The purpose of networking/twinning should be:
1. to build and develop consciousness of acting strategically in a global organisational context
2. to improve mutual understanding and learning
• In order to achieve this purpose, the process would have to offer help and ‘know how’ to:
1. Empower the profession e.g. education, research
2. Professionalise individual Member Organisations e.g. content, lobbying, administrative, organisational capacity, industrial relations/trade unions

ER-WCPT Foundation

A motion, presented by the ER-WCPT Executive Committee, to create an ER-WCPT’s Foundation was discussed and approved. It will be an instrument to promote the development of the activities of the Region.

Elections

After elections the new Executive Committee of ER - WCPT

From right: Eckhardt Boehle(Germany), Sarah Bazin (UK), Antonio Lopes (Portugal)
Roland Craps (Belgium), Emma Stokes (Ireland), David Gorria (General secretary)

The Chairman of the European Region thanked all delegates for their contributions and co operation and thanked David Gorria, the General Secretary, for his work.

He also expressed special thanks to the Pan-Hellenic Association for organising and hosting the GM.

Finally, he thanked the Presiding Officer of the General Meeting, Elisabeth Haase, for her efficient work in chairing the meeting.

Presiding Officer of the General Meeting, Elisabeth Haase