Author: Dr Cathal Morgan, Policy Advisor, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark
Introduction
In March 2023, governments across Europe met in Bucharest to face a difficult truth: our health and care workforce (HCWF) is in crisis. The meeting recognized WHO/Europe’s landmark report Health and Care Workforce in Europe: Time to Act, which warned that unless we act decisively, health systems will struggle to cope with rising demand and mounting workforce shortages.
That report became a turning point. Soon after, countries adopted the Framework for Action on the Health and Care Workforce 2023–2030, a roadmap built on five pillars: retain and recruit, build supply, optimize performance, plan, and invest. Together, these commitments underline one fact: without a strong workforce, there can be no strong health system.
And in 2024, at the 74th Regional Committee for Europe, governments again kept the policy focus on the HCWF by committing to optimize workforce conditions through the Framework for Resilient and Sustainable Health Systems 2025–2030. These frameworks show ambition. The vision is strong — now it must come to life.
The Pressures on the Health and Care Workforce
A number of factors places pressure on the workforce. The first is population ageing. Europe is living longer, but not always healthier. Chronic conditions require more care, while at the same time many health workers are approaching retirement. In simple terms, when more need care but fewer can give it, something has to change.
The second factor concerns recruitment and retention woes. Attracting new staff is a constant stress. Long training pathways, heavy workloads, and pay terms and conditions compared with other sectors put many off. And for those already inside the system, burnout, stress, and limited opportunities often push them out. Recruiting new people is essential, but keeping the ones we have is just as critical.
Linked to that a third factor is the burnout and wellbeing of staff. COVID-19 was a wake-up call. Exhausted staff stretched beyond their limits kept health systems afloat, but at a huge personal cost. Many have since left and others continue to question their future in the profession. Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of health and care workers is not optional. It’s the foundation of any sustainable workforce.
Fourthly, skills mix and rigid roles. Too often, we rely on outdated models where staff work within narrow boundaries. That means the right skills are not always in the right place. Social care workers, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, therapists, and other professionals could take on more responsibilities or simply stop doing unnecessary tasks — but aren’t always allowed or enabled in the right way. Optimizing skills and teamwork is one of the fastest ways to relieve pressure.
Finally, citizens understandably expect more personalized and accessible care. Meeting these expectations in times of financial constraint and global geo-political instability makes the job harder; but it also pushes us to rethink how care is organized and delivered.
Seizing the Opportunities
Smarter use of digital tools. From online consultations to AI-assisted diagnostics and clinical decision support systems, digital innovation can empower health and care workers to deliver safer, smarter, and more effective care. Technology has the potential to reduce administrative burdens, extend services to underserved communities, and make care delivery more efficient. Most importantly, when digital solutions are co-designed with citizens and backed by reliable evidence, they can empower people to take greater control of their own health and wellbeing. Technology won’t fix a broken system on its own — without trained staff, secure systems, and patient trust, even the smartest tools can end up becoming expensive gadgets.
A preventative approach. Treating illness is important, but preventing it is even better. Shifting resources into prevention, early intervention, and lifestyle support reduces the pressure on hospitals in particular. Stronger primary care and community services can keep people healthier, longer.
Reconfiguring roles and teams. If we keep the same roles, we’ll keep the same results. To deliver better care, we must rethink who does what — and how teams work together. Scopes of practice must evolve with science, and professional boundaries must give way to collaboration. Agility is the new measure of strength.
In this future, doctors aren’t stuck repeating routine blood pressure checks or diabetes reviews. Supported by nurses, pharmacists, and digital tools, they focus on what matters most: complex cases, rare diagnoses, and guiding patients through tough decisions.
Nurses, freed from red tape, run community clinics, manage chronic conditions, and provide advanced care—while still leading in prevention and health promotion. Pharmacists oversee long-term medication management. Physiotherapists drive rehab and prevention. Social workers are the connectors of care — linking health, community, and humanity. By empowering their role with smarter tools and integrated systems, we can turn coordination into transformation for the people and communities who need it most.
Psychologists, backed by decision-support tools, spend less time on repetitive assessments and spend more time offering early, continuous, life-changing interventions. Dietitians shape nutrition and lifestyle plans. Occupational therapists design smart, adaptive living environments that keep people thriving at home. Community health workers use digital tools to connect neighborhood’s directly to clinics, closing the gap between care and community.
These are just some examples of workforce optimization. A system where every professional works at their peak, boundaries dissolve, and care moves effortlessly around people’s needs. That’s workforce agility—not just a model, but a movement toward a more human, responsive, and connected future built on trust.
People at the centre. Workforce optimization is not just about staff—it’s about the people they serve. Involving people, patients and communities in shaping services ensures care reflects real needs. Whether through patient councils, co-design projects, or community feedback loops, when people are involved, care improves.
Data to guide decisions. Workforce planning is too important to be left to guesswork. With better data, countries can anticipate shortages, adapt training pipelines, and measure what works. WHO/Europe’s role in sharing evidence across borders is vital, helping everyone learn faster and act smarter.
From Strain to Strength
The workforce crisis is undeniable, but it must be our wake-up call. This isn’t about plugging gaps or patching holes. It’s about bold reinvention: building health and care systems that are resilient, people-centred, and truly fit for the future. Business as usual is not an option.
That means governments must see workforce investment not as a burden, but as the backbone of resilient health systems. Leaders must listen directly to those on the front line, understanding their struggles and solutions. And we all need to build cultures that value collaboration, wellbeing, and innovation as much as efficiency.
The Bucharest meeting and frameworks referenced here have given us a roadmap. But roadmaps alone don’t change realities. Action does. And the action must focus on people: the millions of professionals who keep Europe’s health and care systems running every single day.
Everyone Has a Role
Solving the workforce crisis isn’t the job of health ministry’s alone. Education systems must expand training and adapt curricula. Finance ministries must see health workforce spending as an investment, not a cost. Employers must create safe, flexible, supportive workplaces. Professional bodies and regulatory authorities must open up to new roles and models of care. And society as a whole must value care work, not just with applause, but with respect and resources.
Because at its heart, optimizing the health and care workforce is about building systems that are people-centred, sustainable, and future-ready.
The Time to Act is Now…
If we succeed, the current crisis will be remembered not just as a period of strain, but as the moment where the European region turned the corner—reimagining health and care for the next generation and where the citizen has trust in their health and care workforce.
When the workforce thrives, care improves. And when care improves, we all live healthier, longer, and more fulfilling lives.
That’s a future worth working for…
Cathal Morgan
8th October 2025
