In terms of legal requirements for medical personnel, education plays a key role – in each of the analyzed medical professions – it must be a higher education. In the field of post-graduate education (after obtaining the right to practice), it is also possible to complete a specialization course, as a result of which one is able to obtain the title of specialist. As a part of this form of education, medical personnel should constantly improve their professional qualifications in various forms, e.g. qualification courses and specialized training. The provisions of the analyzed acts relating to the so-called independent medical professions indicate, above all, that in order to practice each of the medical professions, it is necessary to hold (maintain) the right to practice the profession and that is subject to the obligation of continuous education, verified by medical boards. The law specifies legal requirements for people who want to practice medicine, in the first place, students of medical faculties. They establish the conditions for obtaining the prerequisite to practice the profession and provide for the need of the continuous postgraduate education after fulfilling the education requirement. This solution introduces a significant scope of legal liability for people who want to practice a given medical profession, which guarantees an appropriate level of protection for patients. Legal regulations for medical professions are in many cases similar, although there are separate legal solutions.

Supervision over food quality and safety, in the establishments providing nutrition for hospitals included, is based on an internal and external control system. The aim of the study was to assess the degree of implementation and the functioning of the HACCP system in nutrition departments and catering companies providing nutrition for hospital patients in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The answers obtained in 2019 through the means of diagnostic survey using a questionnaire addressed to employees responsible for the organization of nutrition were evaluated. Out of 47 facilities from Małopolska, to which an invitation to participate in the study was sent, feedback was received from 27 hospitals, including: 11 provincial, 9 district/ municipal, 6 clinical and 1 private. 14 units (52%) had their own kitchen, while 12 (44%) hospitals used the services of a catering company that provided patients with meals from their own kitchen. Only 1 hospital reported that it uses a catering company that leases kitchen space in a given facility. The tray system for distributing meals to patients was used only in 33.3% of the surveyed hospitals. A fully implemented HACCP system was declared by most of the participating facilities, and only 2 hospitals reported that the company providing nutrition is still at the stage of its implementation. Most facilities (88.9%) declared the continuous implementation of the HACCP system for over 4 years. Among the facilities participating in the study, 6 hospitals reported that they had the ISO 22000 certificate, which confirms the high standard of food safety management. There are however deficiencies in the practical functioning of selected HACCP and GMP system rules in the analyzed facilities. Hospital administration employees should increase supervision over the functioning of the HACCP system in nutrition departments or catering companies preparing meals for patients.

The aim of this study is to explore hospital managers’ opinions on the impact of inflation on the financial situation of hospitals. Specifically, the Focus is on identifying different types of operating costs among hospitals that are at the highest risk of increased costs due to inflation. The author has used qualitative research methods, specifically, structured interviews (conducted with 7 hospital managers; 7 questions were included in the interview scenario) and performed an analysis of quantitative data (using a self-developed table) relating to the most important types of hospital operating costs. The research demonstrates that majority of hospitals are already affected by inflation. The highest cost growths relate to energy, external services (heating, nutrition, laundry), medicines and medical materials. The complicated financial situation of the Polish hospitals is the result of many years of systemic negligence. The act on minimum wages increases the operating costs of units and adds uncertainty to budget planning.

The ongoing development of information and communications technology (ICT) is forcing the EU legislation to implement a modern legal framework (eIDAS 2.0) for emerging new services. In the case of trust services, neither electronic seals nor maintenance service for the electronic signatures and seals used to sign medical records in electronic format have been implemented in the Polish healthcare system so far. The European Digital Identity Wallet (EDIW) is expected to become a new European electronic identification method with potential in a cross-border healthcare. The integrated electronic identification method is intended to facilitate and streamline the identification process in different European countries, which is particularly important when using online services such as e-banking or e-government (in healthcare). Healthcare entities should ensure that procedures and tools for identifying individuals comply with current regulations and quality standards.