10.G. Round table: How to implement health workforce planning? Align public health expertise to the HEREOS project

Background Health workforce data and planning capacities have made significant progress across EU countries in recent years. However, the health and care workforce crisis is deepening and the implementation of evidence-informed workforce strategies remain limited. Effective workforce planning and forecasting is a continuous, adaptive process that requires institutionalisation to ensure projections are regularly evaluated and aligned with evolving developments and policy priorities. This integration must translate into action across healthcare and education systems. To achieve this, strong multi-level governance is needed involving national and regional authorities and engaging a wide range of stakeholders -professional groups, training institutions and sectors beyond health. Transsectoral and inclusive governance and inclusive approaches are essential to balance interests and enable coordinated implementation. These implementation challenges raise important questions on how countries can build capacity to effectively govern and operationalize workforce planning in a sustainable way. the link between evidence and practice, and organise and manage the institutionalisation of health and care workforce planning. Objectives This workshop seeks to identify how institutionalisation can bridge the gap between evidence and practice and support resilient workforce planning systems across Europe. It will examine the governance structures and capacities required to effectively implement planning and forecasting mechanisms drawing on evidence from both national and European experiences. Adapting a health system and multi-level governance approach, the workshop highlights the importance of strengthening implementation by focusing on organisational and managerial conditions and the institutional frameworks responsible for translating health workforce data and projections into actions. The session will contribute to the development of concrete policy recommendations to support sustainable and adaptive workforce planning. The workshop builds on findings from EU funded HEREOS project - a flagship initiative to strengthen health workforce planning - and incorporate best practices from across Europe. Bringing together public health expertise in health and care workforce, governance and leadership, the session connects global, European and national perspectives. Structured as a policy dialogue, the workshop begins with an introduction overview by the organisers highlighting selected results from the HEREOS project. This will be followed by a critical reflection on implementation and sustainability and a practical country example illustrating opportunities for innovation. A moderated panel discussion will then align insights and generate recommendations. The concluding discussion will foster knowledge exchange among the participants, encouraging actionable strategies to address the global health and care workforce crisis. Key messages • Bringing evidence into practice and building institutional capacities for implementation is key to effective health workforce planning and policy. • Future health workforce planning may benefit from closer connections with public health expertise, governance, and leadership approaches. Speakers/Panellists Gareth Rees Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru Marius-Ionuț Ungureanu Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Kasia Czabanowska Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands