Plenary 2

Great Attrition or Great Attraction? Addressing healthcare workforce challenges

Organised by the European Health Forum Gastein and World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

Building on discussions in the first plenary, this second plenary will take a deep dive into the challenge of human resources for health and care. Key issues to be explored include a changing labour market: different expectations of work, an ageing workforce and worker mobility and migration leading to acute shortages and uneven distribution of healthcare professionals, and medical deserts in some areas. This ageing workforce has experienced increasing amounts of burnout, stress, and illness over the last few years while contending with the COVID-19 pandemic, leading many to resign or remain dissatisfied with their working conditions. Supporting the continuing professional development of healthcare workers, incentivising them and training them to meet evolving health and care needs is another challenge. Many healthcare workers are also seeking autonomy and wish to be supported to develop leadership skills and address hierarchical structures and old-fashioned working conditions and rotas in healthcare facilities. In this plenary we will drill down on these issues and consider examples of innovative thinking and best practice.