Recognising the significant challenges faced by health care professionals across the continent, the parliamentary meeting sought to explore comprehensive strategies to improve the working conditions of health care professionals. The event brought together key stakeholders, policymakers and experts to deliberate on strategies and solutions which could work across Europe.

In his opening statement, CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger outlined the challenges ahead for personnel in the health care sector – ranging from an ageing workforce to increasing and changing health care needs of ageing populations, from understaffing to deplorable working conditions, from work overload to a lack of recognition and fair pay, from inadequate equipment to the loss of qualified personnel and deficient staff retention. He also underscored the problems linked to an emigrating health care workforce for certain countries and regions.

One of the major challenges that was explored in detail related to understaffing. Laura África Villaseñor Roa, President of the Spanish nurses trade union SATSE, an affiliate of CESI, stressed: “We need nurses and physiotherapists, especially in Spain, where the ratio of nurses per inhabitant is well below the European average, specifically at 6.3 per 1000 inhabitants, whereas the EU average is 9.2. Care services need continue to increase, from the most basic to the most complex, with figures indicating a significant increase in the number of people who will require long-term care in the coming years. To avoid unmet needs in the health care sector we need to improve the working conditions in the sectors to ensure a better retention and attractiveness of healthcare professionals.” Indeed, the event revealed that in the health care sector alone, data from 2021 showcases a shortfall of care workers estimated at 4.1 million by 2030 EU-wide, with the situation expected to become more challenging as the number of people with (long-term) care needs will further increase over time.

Dr. Tomas Zapata, Regional Adviser at World Health Organisation (WHO), also referred to negative staffing trends as a major challenge of the sector, pointing out that an improved retention of health care professionals should be the number one priority for policy makers and authorities. He presented a WHO Framework for action on the health and care workforce in the European region for 2023-2030, emphasising the need to improve on the workload, flexibility and work-life balance, working time, remuneration and valorisation of health care personnel in order to arrive at a better staff retention in the sector.

Along the same lines, Dr. Milena Popović Samardžić, President of the Montenegrin Trade Union of Physicians SDMCG, a member of CESI, confirmed the brain drain phenomenon for health care workers in the Balkans, the poor working conditions in the sector and the need to step up efforts for smart use of health care technologies. She however also provided examples of how, with relatively little investments, a better staff recruitment and retention can be achieved and health care workforce preserved at national level also in these countries, following the example of the success of her union in collective bargaining in Montenegro.

Marco Dons, representing the Dutch National Federation of Christian Trade Unions (CNV Connectief), provided best practices from the Netherlands on flexible working arrangements and early retirement schemes for health care professionals as ways to address the current shortages of staff in the sector.

Paul De Raeve, Secretary General of the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) and a nurse himself, joined to flag the poor working conditions which nurses are faced with: tremendous workloads, violence, a lack of sufficient remuneration, and burnout. He urged the EU politicians and policymakers to take immediate action to focus on developing EU legislation to improve the recruitment and retention of domestically educated nurses, achieve safe staffing levels, and prioritise the welfare of nurses and patients alike.

Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director and Head of the Social Europe and Well-being programme at the European Policy Centre (EPC), followed by Ines Prainsack, member of Cabinet for the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safetyand Stella Kyriakides and Vilija Sysaite, Cabinet expert for the Commissioner for Jobs & Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, all highlighted evolving EU policies to further develop the European Health Union – which could provide solutions for certain challenges of the health care workforces in the EU and beyond.

MEP Dolors Montserrat closed the meeting, signaling a commitment to address the multifaceted challenges faced by health care professionals in Europe. By fostering collaboration between various stakeholders, she said, a comprehensive and sustainable framework could be put in place that prioritises the well-being of those dedicated to safeguarding public health. Moreover, a pivotal step of investing in the health care workforce should reflect the EU’s intention to build a resilient and responsive health care system for the benefit of both the personnel and the communities that it serves, she stressed.