Future challenges for the EU
health workforce
Katja Neubauer
Deputy Head of Unit
Healthcare Systems
Directorate-General Health and Consumers
European Commission
Health and
Consumers
EU Health Workforce
(8% of total EU workforce)
Trends in employment in the human health sector
Trends in employment in all other sectors
13,400
13,200
13,000
12,800
12,600
12,400
12,200
12,000
208,000
206,000
204,000
202,000
200,000
198,000
196,000
194,000
Underlying issues
Challenges
Ageing population and
workforce
Increasing demand for health workers
Change in models of care delivery
Rise of chronic diseases and
co-morbidities
(less hospital-centric, more primary care)
Mobility of health workers
Shortage and unequal distribution
Limited data causes fragmentation of
workforce planning
Health and
Consumers
HEALTH
PROMeTHEUS
17 countries
Wismar
CHALLENGE:
Mobility of
Health
Professionals
 Complex and diverse with little data
 Two European research projects : Prometheus and Mobility
of Health Professionals
 Huge challenge for Central and Eastern European countries
Health and
Consumers
Turkey
 Number of
doctors is
50% and
number of
nurses 20%
of the EU
average.
 The average
growth rate
is double
than EU.
Health and
Consumers
Challenges of the future
health workforce
Balance specialization;
Right distribution;
Right skill mix;
Working conditions;
Manage mobility and migration;
Workforce planning
Health and
Consumers
WHAT CAN THE EU DO?
 No strong legal competence
in health policy
 Promote European cooperation:
 Exchange of best practice
 Support European networks
 Promote European research
Health and
Consumers
Action plan for the EU health workforce
Forecasting workforce
needs and improving
workforce planning
methodologies
Anticipating future
skills needs in the
health professions
Planning
Training
New integrated care
delivery models,
New technologies
Lifelong learning
Joint Action -2016
OECD study -2015
EU study on Continuous
Professional
Development -2014
Health and
Consumers
Share good practice on
effective recruitment and
retention strategies for
health professionals
Attract and recruit new
people,
Incentive mechanisms
EU study on
recruitment and
retention -2015
Action Plan
Improve
workforce
planning
 Joint Action on workforce
Anticipate
skills needs
Recruitment
and
retention
International
ethical
recruitment
forecasting and planning
Education and training of
health professionals:
OECD/Commission study
Health and
Consumers
Joint Action on Workforce Planning
"Deciding Today for Tomorrow"
Time horizon: 15 years
 Short-term: planning capacity, data
collection and analysis, strategy building
 Medium term: influence policy on education
and training, professional regulation,
competence/skills
Health and
Consumers
Action Plan
Improve
workforce
planning
Anticipate
skills needs
Recruitment
and
retention
International
ethical
recruitment
Skills Council nursing and care:
update competence profiles
 Sector Skills Alliance: European
partnerships between education/
training bodies and healthcare
employers.
 Pilot Network of nurse educators/
and regulators: training of health
care assistants
Map continuous professional
development (CPD) systems and
practices in the EU.
Health and
Consumers
Action Plan
Improve
workforce
planning
Anticipate
skills needs
Recruitment
and
retention
International
ethical
recruitment
 Social Dialogue (employers and
trade unions) in the Hospital
Sector: Framework Agreement of
Actions on Recruitment and Retention
Mapping study of innovative and
effective recruitment and retention
strategies in the EU (Health Programme
2013)
Health and
Consumers
Action Plan
Improve
workforce
planning
Anticipate
skills needs
Recruitment
and
retention
International
ethical
recruitment
WHO Global Code of
Practice on international
recruitment of health
professionals
 Data availability on the
mobility and migration of
health professionals
Health and
Consumers
Summary
Action Plan for EU health workforce
European networks and research to assist EU
Member states to share good practice:





health workforce planning/forecasting
better anticipation of skills needs
recruitment and retention
continuous professional development
international recruitment of health professionals
Health and
Consumers
7th Framework Programme for Research
•RN4Cast
– innovative forecasting methods by addressing not only volumes,
but quality of nursing staff as well as quality of patient care
•MoHProf
– mobility of health professionals. Health, systems, work,
conditions and patterns of health workers’ mobility in, from and to 25 countries
at the crossroads of a major crisis.
•PROMeTHEUS
– mobility of health professionals
•MUNROS – the impact on practice, outcomes and cost of new roles for health
professionals
•INTEGRATE
– includes skill mix for integrated care models
Health and
Consumers
Conclusions
 Workforce planning: key part in health care reforms
and investment decisions, yet underdeveloped in EU
 Skills and competences, recruitment and retention
 International Dimension: WHO Global Code
Health and
Consumers
TEŞEKKÜRLER
For further information
http://ec.europa.eu/health/workforce/policy/index_en.htm
Health and
Consumers