On the need for transformational leadership in the delivery of person-centered clinical practice within 21st Century healthcare systems

Abstract

We write this Editorial Introduction following the conclusion of the First Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony of the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare (ESPCH) hosted by Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, Spain, on 3 & 4 July 2014. The Conference proved an important event which successfully brought together a very wide range of distinguished speakers and delegates from across the length and breadth of Europe, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Following the close of Day One of the Conference, and prior to the Conference Dinner, we were pleased to confer on particularly eminent colleagues, the Society's Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, the Presidential Medal and the Senior Vice Presidential Medal and, in addition, to award the Society's Essay Prize and Book Prize.  A full Conference Report, with the usual obligatory photographs and a YouTube videolink to highlights of the proceedings, has been included within the first e-Bulletin of the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare, the Society's new bi-monthly and detailed Newsletter.