The healthcare workforce is the most valuable asset of any nation’s healthcare service. The levels of engagement, wellbeing, and job satisfaction of the healthcare workforce are crucial for delivering the expected health outcomes for patients. EU and national policymakers must prioritise the healthcare workforce by “caring for those who care.”

The longstanding neglect from Member States left them ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, which further worsened existing healthcare workforce shortages. Despite the crisis, many Member States are once again enacting budget cuts. This is compounded by the fact that most of the EU initiatives have largely fallen short of delivering concrete action on reducing the shortages. The consequences are clear and significant: EU healthcare systems are buckling under pressure as healthcare professionals are leaving the professions in large numbers, refusing to work in unsafe conditions and without adequate recognition.

CPME, EFN, and PGEU, representing over 5 million European doctors, nurses, and community pharmacists urgently call for concrete action and the full integration of their recommendations on Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience (the 3Rs) for an EU Healthcare Workforce Strategy, in the EMPL-SANT Joint Own-Initiative Report on the EU Healthcare Workforce.