The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Union (EU) have entered into a €1.3 million agreement over the next three years to tackle critical nursing shortages across the bloc.

The announcement was made by WHO recently, noting that the agreement is financed by the EU4Health programme to assist countries with significant shortages in nursing staff.

This comes on the back of a WHO/Europe report titled “Health and care workforce in Europe: time to act”, revealing the crises in the healthcare industry.

This led to the release of “Framework for action on the health and care workforce 2023–2030” which recommended an increased investment in the health workforce, particularly nursing, to boost staffing levels, enhance retention and recruitment, and improve overall performance.

Stella Kyriakides, the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, emphasised the essential role of nurses in delivering high-quality healthcare. She underscored that this initiative reflects the EU’s commitment to bolstering health systems and addressing workforce shortages.

Kyriakides said: “Nurses are the backbone of our health systems and are critical in ensuring that patients receive high-quality, professional care when they need it.

“Today’s action is a sign of our commitment to address the serious health workforce issues that many Member States are facing and to improve the resilience of health systems across the European Health Union. We are delighted to work with WHO Europe on this important initiative.”

As Kyriakides stated, the partnership with WHO Europe will involve close cooperation with member states, nursing organisations, and social partners to develop solutions tailored to national and regional needs.

Speaking more on this, Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said, “Nurses are key to our health systems, yet many countries are struggling to retain or attract the numbers needed to meet the growing and evolving needs of their populations. This new initiative is a sign of our joint commitment to address that and to ensure that patients get the high-quality, professional care when and where they need it.”

According to the released statement, the funding will support a variety of activities, such as developing robust recruitment plans to attract new talent to the profession. The plans will focus on both short-term and long-term goals, ensuring a steady pipeline of nurses entering the workforce.

In addition to recruitment, the funds will implement mentorship programmes to play a significant role in retaining staff. By offering guidance and support to new nurses, these programmes will help ease the transition into the profession, reducing turnover and enhancing job satisfaction.

Another crucial aspect of the funding will involve conducting impact assessments to identify the root causes of nursing shortages. Such assessments will allow for targeted interventions that address the specific challenges contributing to workforce deficiencies.

Furthermore, it will promote the health and well-being of nurses which is equally important. This would mean providing training opportunities to ensure that nurses continue to develop their skills, keeping them engaged and improving their performance.

Also, the use of digital technologies in healthcare will be implemented to help nurses streamline tasks, reduce workload pressures, and increase efficiency. (Business Day)

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