Health Workforce–System Misalignment with Older Adult Care Needs in Saudi Arabia: Perspectives of Health Professionals, Managers and Policymakers

Introduction and Objectives: Population ageing is increasing demand for coordinated and age-responsive care. However, how workforce planning for older adult care is undertaken across clinical practice, service management and policy in Saudi Arabia remains poorly understood. This study examined current workforce planning across clinical, managerial and policy levels from the perspectives of healthcare professionals, managers and policymakers. Methodology: This exploratory qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 25 participants, comprising 17 healthcare professionals, five managers and three policymakers. Interviews took place between November 2025 and April 2026. Twenty-one were conducted in Arabic and four in English. The data were analysed inductively through reflexive thematic analysis. Results and Discussion: The analysis produced four connected themes: complex needs and fragmented pathways limiting age-friendly older adult care; workforce capacity, capability and sustainability gaps; weak workforce planning, data and governance systems; and uneven financing and regional workforce capacity. Together, they reflected workforce-system misalignment with older adult care needs. Workforce capacity, capability, retention and sustainability represented the central workforce challenge across participants’ accounts. Complex needs and fragmented pathways were associated with greater requirements for staff time, communication and coordination, while participants described reactive planning, fragmented data and weaknesses in workforce monitoring and role clarity as limiting the anticipation of workforce needs and coordination of planning responses. Financing and regional conditions were described as shaping where appropriately supported teams could be deployed and retained. The groups viewed these issues from different system positions. Health professionals foregrounded workload and care coordination, managers the configuration and sustainability of services and policymakers planning, governance, financing and distribution. Participants also described examples of functioning services, structured training and locally needs-oriented planning, although these arrangements were uneven across organisations and locations. Conclusions: Participants understood the workforce challenges surrounding older adult care as extending beyond staff numbers alone. Workforce planning therefore needs to connect population needs and models of care with workforce numbers, competencies, team composition, retention, funded employment and regional deployment, with stronger coordination across clinical, managerial and policy levels. Conference: Geneva Health Forum 2026, 10–12 November 2026, Geneva, Switzerland.