Last 14 January, UEHP was pleased to take part in the EU Health Coalition and BeWell Project Policy Brunch on health workforce. The event marked the launch of a new series focused on equipping Europe’s health and care professionals with the necessary skills to navigate the digital and green transitions.
Discussions highlighted the need to improve working conditions for health staff. They also underlined the importance of strengthening training so the workforce can accurately share, manage and document health data. This requires the right tools and skills, a supportive organisational culture, and strong data governance. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) was discussed as a dynamic tool with the potential to benefit both patients and health and care professionals by improving data flows. However, participants also noted that incentives for health workers remain unclear and need further attention. EHDS implementation is not mandated and remains a Member State competence. Finally, the role of regions and local authorities emerged as essential in identifying skills needs and implementing sustainable workforce policies.
Our Secretary General, Ms Ilaria Giannico, attended as a panelist, bringing the perspectives of the private hospitals to the discussion. Only a coordinated and well-funded European response to the workforce crisis can ensure the resilience, sustainability and efficiency of Europe’s health systems. EU must inform concrete recommendations to Member States for workforce development across public and private sectors.
About the EU Health Coalition
The EU Health Coalition is a multi-stakeholder initiative looking at mapping the future of healthcare in Europe in order to make the most of the innovation at our fingertips, at the role of the European Union in addressing the challenges we face and critically at how can different sectors converge to deliver the best outcomes for patients in Europe. UEHP has been a member since 2018.
