Towards long-term care system innovation in Europe: lessons learnt during the COVID-19 emergency from six European Union countries

Population ageing is one of the most impactful phenomena in contemporary Western societies. COVID-19 put great pressure on worldwide public health and long-term care (LTC) systems, demanding substantial investments in search of new sustainability. This study analyses the opinions of European experts on the positive and negative aspects of the impact of COVID-19 on their national LTC systems to identify valuable lessons and innovative policies for European LTC strategy after this recent health emergency. A content analysis was performed on interviews with and focus groups of experts and stakeholders from selected countries. The findings argue for an innovative, open and comprehensive LTC model.