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Health and care workforce
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Health system topics（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions）
Health and care workforce
Health professionals’ education and training（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-and-care-workforce/health-professionals-education-and-training）
Skill mix and task shifting（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-and-care-workforce/skill-mix-and-task-shifting）
Mobility of health professionals（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-and-care-workforce/mobility-of-health-professionals）
BeWell（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-and-care-workforce/bewell）
Financing and payment（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment）
Sustainability（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment/sustainability）
Coverage and access（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment/coverage-and-access）
Financial crisis（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment/financial-crisis）
Insurance（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment/insurance）
Payment mechanisms（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/financing-and-payment/payment-mechanisms）
Health care delivery（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-care-delivery）
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-care-delivery/antimicrobial-resistance-amr）
Primary Health Care（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/health-care-delivery/primary-health-care）
Public health（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/public-health）
Public health in Europe in times of COVID-19（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/public-health/public-health-in-europe-in-times-of-covid-19）
Outcomes（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/outcomes）
Resilience（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/themes/health-system-functions/resilience）
A health and care workforce crisis is looming in Europe: shortages, medical deserts, skill-gaps and failure to retain health and care workers are widespread. This has consequences for access to and quality of health and care services. COVID-19 has aggravated this situation, putting even more pressure on an already strained health and care workforce while also undermining health systems resilience.
What can governments do that are striving to maintain and improve health system performance?
No single ‘silver bullet’ can resolve the crisis, and different countries have different health and care workforce reform priorities. Therefore, the European Observatory’s work programme deals with the entire spectrum of the health system's responses to address and remedy the crisis. This includes:
Improving data, tools, and capacities for foresight, forecasting and planning
Expansion of training capacities
Innovating the skill mix to match primary care models of service provision
Identifying effective retention strategies
Making cross-border mobility and migration of health professionals work for health systems
Improving the health literacy of citizens, patients, and informal carers
Supporting the digital transformation of health services through developing digital skills
Advancing the greening of health care through developing green skills
Improving ways of working with other sectors and ministries like education, finance and employment and reaching out to civil society and the private sector
Mobilizing resources for targeted investment
Policy options to address the health and care workforce crisis need to be developed locally and globally. Therefore, the Observatory collaborates with a large number of partners and contributors across all levels of government on local, regional and global levels.
Related publications
21 September 2026
How do European countries attract medical and nursing students to a career in primary health care?（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/how-do-european-countries-attract-medical-and-nursing-students-to-a-career-in-primary-health-care）
Note: This policy brief presents the results of a scoping literature review covering the period from January 2018 to February 2024.Primary health care...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/f4f85496-3006-4b42-91b4-15b1aeedbb82/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/how-do-european-countries-attract-medical-and-nursing-students-to-a-career-in-primary-health-care）
5 May 2026
BeWell: Building future skills for the health and care workforce - Eurohealth（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/bewell-building-future-skills-for-the-health-and-care-workforce---eurohealth）
Flipbook: Read interactively (External link)This special issue of Eurohealth reports on the findings from the Erasmus+ funded BeWell initiative, examining...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/49daaf62-9eb5-4276-926a-41fa81cdcd6a/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/bewell-building-future-skills-for-the-health-and-care-workforce---eurohealth）
4 May 2026
Moving towards a resilient health and care workforce: How to institutionalize health workforce planning...（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/moving-towards-a-resilient-health-and-care-workforce-how-to-institutionalize-health-workforce-planning-and-forecasting）
Using planning and forecasting to respond to future health care workforce (HCWF) needs is central to a health system’s ability to meet the challenges...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/432a5df8-56e0-48ad-b805-8f6343536ec7/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/moving-towards-a-resilient-health-and-care-workforce-how-to-institutionalize-health-workforce-planning-and-forecasting）
4 May 2026
Aligning health workforce forecasting and planning with changing care models: the role of integrated...（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/aligning-health-workforce-forecasting-and-planning-with-changing-care-models-the-role-of-integrated-data-mixed-methods-and-professional-registers）
Using planning and forecasting to respond to future health care workforce (HCWF) needs is central to a health system’s ability to meet the challenges...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/99a99bce-3486-4286-ae61-9da4234536dd/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/aligning-health-workforce-forecasting-and-planning-with-changing-care-models-the-role-of-integrated-data-mixed-methods-and-professional-registers）
4 May 2026
Implementing innovative care models in European countries: What are the implications for health and care...（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/implementing-innovative-care-models-in-european-countries-what-are-the-implications-for-health-and-care-workforce-planning-and-training）
Using planning and forecasting to respond to future health care workforce (HCWF) needs is central to a health system’s ability to meet the challenges...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/f9ce9c08-781c-4f05-a663-4ccd88fcfab9/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/implementing-innovative-care-models-in-european-countries-what-are-the-implications-for-health-and-care-workforce-planning-and-training）
3 December 2025
Strengthening health systems through nursing: Thematic overview（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/strengthening-health-systems-through-nursing-thematic-overview）
Strengthening health systems through nursing provides a comprehensive examination of the nursing profession’s contribution to health system performance...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/05579ac7-0bb8-4177-90c5-cb8857cd50ac/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/strengthening-health-systems-through-nursing-thematic-overview）
5 November 2025
The case for continuity: how a BeWell 2.0 initiative could consolidate gains in digital and green skills（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/the-case-for-continuity-how-a-bewell-2.0-initiative-could-consolidate-gains-in-digital-and-green-skills）
BeWell has laid the foundation for a European approach to digital and green skills development in the health and care workforce. A second phase,...
Download（https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/fb309bf9-0a08-4ab0-be66-fa9e3cf354e7/content）
Read More（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/the-case-for-continuity-how-a-bewell-2.0-initiative-could-consolidate-gains-in-digital-and-green-skills）
5 November 2025
The digital and green transition in the pharmacy workforce: Preparing for the future today（https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/publications/i/the-digital-and-green-transition-in-the-pharmacy-workforce-preparing-for-the-future-today）