Sustainable Development in Hospitals and Healthcare Institutions, ESG, Just Culture and Mediation Center for the Healthcare System

Archived event — the conference took place on 24–25 September 2024

The two-part conference of the Green Hospitals Transformation Center (GHTC) took place on 24 September 2024 at the Management Academy of Applied Sciences in Warsaw and on 25 September 2024 at the Office of the Patient Rights Ombudsman. Registration is closed and the participation packages are no longer available. The programme, thematic scope and list of organisers are retained below as a record of the work — together with an update on the regulatory position after the Omnibus I and II packages, which has shifted the frame of reference for part of what was presented at the time. For the next edition: global@healthcarepoland.pl.

The Green Hospitals Transformation Center (GHTC) is a dedicated hub of innovation, expertise, and support designed to empower healthcare organizations in Poland and beyond to achieve excellence in sustainability, compliance, and operational efficiency. Established by the Healthcare Poland Foundation in collaboration with the Polish Hospital Federation (PFSz), the GHTC provides comprehensive resources and guidance to help healthcare institutions navigate the complexities of modern regulatory frameworks, digital transformation, and value-based healthcare.

Services offered by GHTC

Areas of analysis — the impact of the Omnibus I and II packages on the conference conclusions

The conference was held under the legal position preceding the Omnibus I and Omnibus II packages. Because those packages narrowed and deferred sustainability reporting obligations, part of what was presented at the time now requires a second reading — not because it has lost substantive value, but because the frame of reference has changed. Set out below are the areas in which that change is decisive, together with the direction of its effect.

• Entity-level qualification — the area of greatest shift. Before the Omnibus I package the starting question was “how do we report”; after it, the first question is “are we within scope at all”. For most hospitals in Poland no direct CSRD obligation arises — what governs is legal form, size and capital-group structure, not the fact of providing medical care.
• Reporting and assurance — the obligation remains with very large hospital groups, together with double materiality assessment and assurance of the report. For all other entities reporting becomes voluntary, which shifts the emphasis from the form of the report to the usefulness of the data itself.
• Value-chain due diligence (CSDDD) — with the thresholds raised, the obligation becomes, as a matter of principle, marginal for the hospital sector. It does not disappear as an indirect requirement: the hospital remains a link in the supply chain of entities that are in scope.
• EU Taxonomy and CBAM — these remain situational obligations, triggered by a specific investment or purchase rather than by the status of the entity.
• Investment financing (Omnibus II) — the area where the change works in hospitals’ favour. Simplification of the instruments around InvestEU rewards projects prepared for financing: energy modernisation, construction and refurbishment, low-emission infrastructure, resilience of critical infrastructure, and research and innovation projects.
• Non-regulatory pressure — questions from banks and financing institutions, grant and investment requirements, the expectations of the founding body and procurement criteria all remain in force irrespective of CSRD scope. This is today the principal driver of demand for ESG data in a hospital.
• Governance and ESG data — the appropriate response ceases to be full implementation of “corporate CSRD” and becomes a proportionate model: an ESG data map, assigned data owners, an environmental and procurement policy, core indicators for energy, water, waste, emissions, absence, occupational health and safety, turnover and ethics, and a catalogue of supporting documentation.
• Competence and micro-credentials — moving the emphasis from reporting technique to legal qualification and project preparation changes the training profile. CPE credits awarded during the conference remain valid; the scope of future editions requires updating.

Scale of reference. The network of the Polish Hospital Federation (PFSz) comprises more than 500 hospitals, of which 250 are direct members of the Federation. That distinction matters in practice when assessing the effects of the Omnibus packages: even where an individual facility falls outside the direct scope of CSRD, as a link in its suppliers’ value chain and as an applicant for investment financing it will still receive requests for ESG data. The effect therefore reaches the whole network, not only the part subject to a reporting obligation.

Qualification. This analysis draws on the internal Greenbook study of the Polish Hospital Federation and states the direction of change, not a binding interpretation. Quantitative thresholds and dates of application should in every case be verified against the final text of the packages and their national transposition. This material does not constitute legal advice or investment advice.

Programme — PART 1 · 24 September 2024 (event concluded)

Management Academy of Applied Sciences, ul. Kawęczyńska 36, 03-772 Warsaw.

• 10:00 – 10:30 | Registration and Welcome Coffee
• 10:30 – 11:00 | Opening Remarks and Introduction to ESG
• 11:00 – 12:00 | Expert Panel: Environment (E) – Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Hospitals
• 12:00 – 13:00 | Workshop: Society (S) – Building Relationships with Patients, the Local Community, and Staff
• 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch and Networking
• 14:00 – 15:00 | Expert Panel: Governance (G) – Transparency, Accountability, and Fair Treatment Culture
• 15:00 – 16:00 | Presentation: Implementing the CSRD Directive
• 16:00 – 17:00 | Workshop: Value-Based Procurement and Funding Sources
• 17:00 – 17:45 | Q&A Session and Open Discussion
• 17:45 – 18:00 | Closing Remarks and Event Summary
• 18:00 – 18:45 | Post-Event Networking

Organisers and Partners (PART 1)

• Organizers: Healthcare Poland Foundation, Polish Hospital Federation (PFSz), Menedżerska Akademia Nauk Stosowanych in Warsaw.
• Partners: AOTMiT, Rymarz Zdort Maruta, MED TAX PRO, Krajowa Izba Domów Opieki (KIDO), OWL – NIL, IN Sieć Innowatorów.

The first part of the conference brought hospital directors and healthcare managers together around the full ESG cycle — from reducing the carbon footprint, through relationships with patients, the local community and staff, to corporate governance and Just Culture. The conclusions drawn in this part should now be read through the lens of the Omnibus I and II packages; the direction of their impact is set out in the “Areas of analysis” section above.

Programme — PART 2 · 25 September 2024 (event concluded)

Office of the Patient Rights Ombudsman, ul. Płocka 11/13, 01-231 Warsaw.

• 10:00 – 10:15 | Registration and Welcome
• 10:15 – 11:40 | Opening Remarks and Introduction to compensation system for medical events
• 11:40 – 12:00 | Q&A Session and Open Discussion
• 12:00 – 13:20 | Presentation: Just Culture as part of the orgnisation’s quality of service
• 13:20 – 13:50 | Workshop: Just Culture
• 13:50 – 14:00 | 10 min break
• 14:00 – 14:30 | Presentation: Mediation and arbitration mechanisms for legal dispute resolution
• 14:30 – 15:00 | Q&A Session and Open Discussion
• 15:00 – 15:05 | Closing Remarks and Event Summary

Organisers and Partners (PART 2)

• Organizers: Commissioner for Patients’​ Rights, Healthcare Poland Foundation, Polish Hospitals Federation.
• Partners: Warsaw Collaboration Cluster Network, mec. Maria Łabno, mec. Ewelina Bogiel

The presentation and workshop, organised by the Office of the Patient Rights Ombudsman, the Healthcare Poland Foundation and the Polish Hospital Federation (PFSz), were addressed to hospital directors and heads of legal departments. The programme covered the medical-incident compensation system, the principles of Just Culture, and mediation and arbitration mechanisms for resolving legal disputes.

Participants gained in-depth knowledge of Poland’s patient rights system, its position relative to EU and international standards, and the opportunities it opens in medical tourism. The workshop delivered practical guidance on building a safer and more trustworthy hospital environment, limiting legal risk, and managing conflict without referring matters to court.

For facilities seeking to prepare for legal change and to strengthen a culture of fair treatment, we provide implementation support independently of the conference cycle. Contact: global@healthcarepoland.pl.