Key Insights from the ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2024' Report
The recent Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 report highlights the urgent need to mitigate chronic healthcare workforce shortages across the European Union. It is estimated that in 2022, there was an actual deficit of 1.2 million doctors, nurses, and midwives across the EU.
The report argues the need to improve working conditions, increase training opportunities, and optimise the skill mix to meet rising demand. It also emphasises the need to promote healthy longevity through disease prevention, mental health support, and empowerment of individuals to manage their health, as this will support the reduction of these burdens on health and long-term care systems.
While we are making progress, disparities persist in life expectancy, lifestyle risk factors, and health crisis preparedness across the EU. The OECD Health at a Glance: Europe 2024 report calls for more connected and cohesive efforts to address these challenges and support more resilient and fair healthcare systems within EU countries.
The key recommendations to support health workforce shortages in Europe
- Significantly improve conditions and pay: These are essential to enhancing the healthcare profession to attract new staff and retain our existing health workers.
- Increase Education and Training Opportunities: We can meet the rising demand for healthcare professionals in the medium to long term through improved contemporary education and training programmes.
- Optimise Skill-Mix: Building a more substantial pool of advanced practice nurses and growing the use of digital technologies are just some of the suggestions that can enhance the productivity of health workers.
Griffith College's Advanced HealthCare Assistant Practitioners Programme
As we grow the number of Advanced Practice Nurses, we must also consider increasing the number of Advanced Healthcare Assistant Practitioners. Our AHAP programme is perfectly positioned to support these strategies, as building training and retention for frontline workers creates an upstream effect to support the entire multi-disciplinary team.
By implementing these strategies, European countries can mitigate the health workforce crisis and protect their healthcare systems, ensuring they are adequately staffed and equipped to meet the growing healthcare needs of their populations. Employers engaging in the AHAP programme are working towards these goals and future-proofing their workforce per these recommendations.
