European Association of Hospital Pharmacists is a working community of national associations of hospital pharmacists. Its membership includes representatives of national hospital pharmacy associations in almost all the European Union (EU) member states, in addition to Switzerland, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia (FYROM) and Bosnia Herzegovina . Membership is increasing each year and, at present, EAHP represents the interest of over 21,000 hospital pharmacists in 31 countries all over Europe.

How has the EAHP developed?

At a scientific congress in Strasbourg a number of hospital pharmacists from different European countries decided that they should establish a new European association to represent their common interests. Thus in 1969, the seeds of EAHP were sown. On 6 March 1972, the representatives of six European countries signed the first Statutes of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, in The Hague, The Netherlands. The first President of EAHP was Marcel Lebas from France.

The first member countries were Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany and The Netherlands. In 1973, Ireland and Spain joined EAHP, soon followed by Norway, Greece, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland. In the 1990s, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Luxembourg, Finland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic became members. More recently, Bulgaria and Bosnia Herzegovina became members of EAHP. Membership within EAHP is open to countries members of the Council of Europe.

On the 1st of August 2011, the EAHP officially became an International Not-for-Profit Organization, and adjusted its policy to better face modern challenges.

What are the goals of the EAHP?

1. To develop hospital pharmacy and to establish a common pharmaceutical policy in Europe.
2. To work for the advancement of the position and role of the pharmacists in hospitals.
3. To uphold the interests of hospital pharmacists in European Union Member States with the EU authorities.
4. To promote co-operation with other professional bodies.

How does the EAHP achieve its goals?

Goal 1:
To develop hospital pharmacy and to establish a common pharmaceutical doctrine in Europe, EAHP has prepared and issued Policy Statements in relation to important aspects of hospital pharmacy practice in Europe. These Policy Statements represent agreed positions of all of the Member States and are communicated to the national member associations so that they can be incorporated into local policy. These Policy Statements are also communicated to the relevant European authorities and other concerned parties such as the pharmaceutical industry and other bodies representing pharmacists in Europe.

Examples of Policy Statements agreed to date are:
- Clinical pharmacy in the hospital setting
- Education for specialisation in hospital pharmacy
- Information requirements of hospital pharmacists about medical products
- Information requirements of hospital pharmacists about disinfectants and antiseptics
- Requirements for a unique identification code and bar code for medicinal products
- Standardisation of colour coding of medical gases in Europe
- Labeling of combination drug formulations
- Imprinting on solid oral dose form drug products

Goal 2:
To work for the advancement of the position and role of the pharmacists in hospitals.
The General Assembly of EAHP is an important forum where hospital pharmacy leaders in Europe can exchange information and ideas, and make comparisons of their situation relative to other countries. The Board of EAHP is charged with the responsibility of promoting the decisions and policies agreed at the General Assembly. This is done through making contacts and building partnerships with the European Union’s institutions, the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union, the Industrial Pharmacists' Group and the World Health Organisation's Europharm Forum, among others.

Three major developments greatly enhanced the possibilities for achieving this goal:

The first is the establishment of an official journal of EAHP, known as European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP), formerly known as EHP – European Hospital Pharmacy. Through this publication, the policies and decisions of EAHP are rapidly and effectively communicated to all hospital pharmacists in Europe. The first issue of the journal was published in January 1995. The journal is currently published bi-monthly.

The second development is the establishment of an Annual Scientific Congress, open to all hospital pharmacists, the EAHP Congress of Hospital Pharmacy. The Congress takes place on an annual basis each spring. The first EAHP Congress of Hospital Pharmacy took place in March 1996 in Amsterdam. The congresses then took place in:

1997 Porto, Portugal
1998 Edinburgh, UK
1999 Nice, France
2000 Madrid, Spain
2001 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2002 Vienna, Austria
2003 Florence, Italy
2004 Seville, Spain
2005 Lisbon, Portugal
2006 Geneva, Switzerland
2007 Bordeaux, France
2008 Maastricht, the Netherlands
2009 Barcelona, Spain
2010 Nice, France

The third development is the completion of a comprehensive Survey of Hospital Pharmaceutical Services in Europe.

The first Survey was carried out in 18 countries in the autumn of 1995 after several years of preparatory work. The Survey provides an important benchmark, which can be used in the future to objectively assess the progress being made in each country. It also provides national associations with a wealth of important comparative data, which can be used by them in individual countries to promote local developments. The preliminary results of the Survey provided a backdrop for the first EAHP Congress of Hospital Pharmacy. Detailed results were published in the official journal of EAHP (Delaney T., EHP 1996;2(3):92-108). The Survey was repeated in 2000 and the results were presented at the Congress in Amsterdam in March 2001. The third survey was conducted in 2005 and results were also published in EJHP, March 2007.

Goal 3:
To uphold the interests of hospital pharmacists in European Union (EU) Member States with the EU authorities.
This is achieved by continuous corresponding with the EU authorities in Brussels, via the Board of EAHP and its staff members. The General Assembly also encourages each national member association, through its EAHP delegation, to lobby with its own regulatory and governmental authorities in order to influence policy both at National and at EU level. The General Assembly also encourages each national member association, through its EAHP delegation, to lobby with its own regulatory and governmental authorities in order to influence policy both at National and at EU level.

Goal 4:
To promote co-operation with other professional bodies.
This is achieved through official and unofficial contacts with other bodies, including the presentation of annual reports and position statements. EAHP has regular contacts with the Pharmaceutical Group of the EU (PGEU), the European Industrial Pharmacists' Group (EIPG), the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP), the European Pharmaceutical Students' Association (EPSA), the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (EAFP), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

EAHP Mission

EAHP helps hospital pharmacists from Europe improve health care through science, practice, sharing best-practice and collaborative actions.

Structure of the EAHP?

The prime governing body is the General Assembly, which meets annually and elects the Board of the Association. The General Assembly is a delegate conference at which each member state may have up to three delegates. Every delegation has one vote regardless of size.

The Board of Directors is the Executive Body of the Association and is elected for a three-year term of office, with the possibility to be re-elected. The responsibility for the core activities of the association are shared between the different directors. The Board normally meets four times a year in addition to meetings during the Congress and the General Assembly.

The Board carries out the policies agreed at the General Assembly designs the strategic goals of the association and coordinates there implementations, with the support of the EAHP staff. In addition, the Board is closely involved in the control of the official journal of the Association, European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP). The Board is also closely involved in the organisation of the annual EAHP Congress of Hospital Pharmacy, with one director chairing the congress organising committee and another chairing the scientific committee.

Every year, at the General Assembly, the Director of Finances discloses all the expenses and revenues and explains them in details. Members would have had the opportunity to study them before the General Assembly meeting as they receive the files at least 6 weeks prior the General Assembly meeting.

EAHP is funded by:

• membership dues
• revenues generated by the yearly congress
• educational grants.

All accounts are audited both by EAHP auditors, appointed by the General Assembly and external auditors.

The EAHP statutes are available below.

EAHP statutes, adopted June 2011

EAHP Code of Conduct - adopted June 2010 (English)