Fixing the health workforce crisis in Europe : retention must be the priority

Abstract

Health and care workers in all parts of Europe are experiencing overwork, with high levels of burnout. They describe feeling undervalued and disaffected and are losing trust in the systems in which they work. Strikes by health workers should be seen as red flags, pointing to serious underlying problems, but they are now taking place in several European countries Less visible is the steady loss of skilled workers, with many attracted by the improved work life balance and better conditions offered by other careers or in health systems beyond Europe, or by early retirement. Yet, these problems have arisen in a situation when ever more health workers are being trained. Numbers of doctors and nurses have increased in relation to population by 13.5% and 8.2% respectively over the past decade. The European region now has the highest density of health workers among WHO’s six regions, with none of its member states having a critical shortage of health and care workers, as defined in a recent WHO report. So why are health workers so disillusioned at a time when their numbers have never been higher and what can be done about it?