In April 2016 the European Commission Expert Group on Rare Diseases adopted new recommendations on how to support the incorporation of rare diseases into mainstream social services and policies.
These recommendations aim at advising EU Member States and the European Commission on issues that should be considered when organising holistic care for people living with a rare disease within national health and social care systems. They highlight several measures that facilitate multidisciplinary, continuous, person-centred and participative care provision.
The EU-funded INNOVCare project is a first step in applying these recommendations by developing and testing a holistic, personalised care pathway, which involves linking health services with social and support services.