The European Commission is giving its active and healthy ageing plans something of a makeover with the aim of improving the health of Europe's increasingly ageing population. 

 “ … we need to use smart innovations to re-engineer and reinvent our whole health and social care system.” 

These were the words of vice president of the EC (responsible for the digital agenda), Neelie Kroes, as she addressed the first Conference of Partners of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing earlier this month. 

The much-needed reinvention she was referring to means improving six key areas of healthcare for Europe's ageing population – adherence, use of tele-monitoring systems, integrated care, fall prevention, use of information and communication technology (ICT) and creating an age-friendly environment. 

Central to tackling these issues is improved use of technology, but for Kroes, it is about more than implementing technological advances. In her opinion the success of the reinvention initiative, which will see separate action groups within the European Innovation Partnership focus on one of the six areas, hinges on working together. “We'll do that [use smart innovations] better if we learn from each other. We'll do it better if we work together.”

• Closer to home, at PMGroup we have been working together to improve our online offering. Following work we began in November 2011 to revitalise PMLive.com we now have a fresh new design for the site, with all the content of before plus more. We hope you enjoy the site and would love to hear your thoughts on what we think are great improvements.

By Clare Bates, editorial director - PMGroup