European Commission and WHO/Europe sign €1.3 million agreement to help EU Member States retain and attract more nurses

WHO/Europe and the European Commission have signed a contribution agreement worth £1.3m to support Member States of the European Union (EU) retain nurses in their health systems and to help make the profession more attractive to potential new recruits.

The funding, derived from the Commission's EU4Health programme, will be used across all 27 EU Member States, with a particular focus on those countries facing significant shortages of nursing staff.

Dr 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."

Focusing on specific needs

Through close cooperation with EU Member States, nurses' organizations and social partners, the 36-month initiative will be tailored to specific needs at the national and subnational level, with the funding covering activities including:

• driving evidence-informed retention and recruitment strategies
• scaling up efforts in the mentorship of the new generation of nurses
• protecting nurses' health and well-being
• supporting countries with implementing safe staffing measures
• optimizing the integration of digital solutions.

Putting this initiative into context

A shortage of nurses is just one aspect of a wider health workforce crisis currently facing the WHO European Region, as highlighted by WHO/Europe in its "Health and care workforce in Europe: time to act" report. Through its "Framework for action on the health and care workforce in the WHO European Region 2023-2030", WHO/Europe recommends investment in the health workforce, including in nursing, to help build the supply of staff, improve retention and recruitment, and optimize performance.