Healthcare professionals collaboratively building a heart-shaped structure representing people-centered care in Europe.

Reimagining Healthcare: How People-Centered Workforces Can Transform Europe

Beau Callahan in Health & Wellness June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover the strategies and challenges in building a healthcare system that truly puts people first, enhancing both patient care and workforce well-being."

In 2015, a pivotal discussion in Health Policy highlighted the growing need to rethink healthcare workforce governance in Europe, stressing the importance of adapting to the unique challenges within different local contexts. The consensus was clear: healthcare policies must be sensitive and responsive to the specific needs of each community, leveraging existing tools and expertise to drive effective change. This earlier analysis paved the way for a more integrated approach, pushing workforce issues into the spotlight and emphasizing the benefits of learning from cross-country experiences.

Now, the conversation evolves. This article zeroes in on the development of a people-centered health workforce across Europe, emphasizing the crucial aspects of policy implementation. It enriches the dialogue with fresh data and insights, enhancing our understanding of how healthcare system changes influence the workforce. Remarkable progress is evident in the rise of new professional groups and the evolution of skill sets, signaling a move towards more integrated and patient-focused care.

However, the path isn't without its obstacles. This analysis uncovers the complexities and persistent challenges that hinder the creation of a truly people-centered health workforce, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of what it takes to overcome these barriers and achieve meaningful progress.

Key Strategies for Building a People-Centered Healthcare Workforce

Healthcare professionals collaboratively building a heart-shaped structure representing people-centered care in Europe.

Creating a people-centered health workforce involves a multifaceted approach that addresses various levels of healthcare delivery and policy. Several key strategies have emerged as essential components in this transformation:

The following strategies play pivotal roles in shaping a more responsive and integrated healthcare system:

Primary Care Workforce Development: Strengthening the foundation of healthcare by investing in primary care teams.
Interprofessional Education: Fostering collaboration among different healthcare professionals through shared learning experiences, acknowledging and leveraging cultural influences to enhance team dynamics.
Community-Oriented Practices: Encouraging general practitioners to deeply integrate within their communities to better address local health needs.
Role Clarity and Patient Perception: Clearly defining new roles within healthcare teams and understanding how patients perceive these roles to ensure confidence and satisfaction.

These strategies, while diverse, share a common goal: to create a healthcare environment that is not only efficient and effective but also deeply rooted in the needs and values of the people it serves.

The Path Forward: Addressing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities

As healthcare systems in Europe evolve, several challenges persist, most notably the ongoing issues related to workforce mobility and migration. The increasing prevalence of right-wing populism also poses a threat to public health initiatives and the overall stability of the health workforce. Overcoming these obstacles requires a concerted effort to prioritize health workforce planning at both global and local levels. By placing the health workforce at the forefront of policy agendas, decision-makers can pave the way for more resilient, responsive, and people-centered healthcare systems.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

What does it mean to have a 'people-centered' health workforce, and why is it so important?

A people-centered health workforce focuses on organizing healthcare around the needs and preferences of individuals and communities. This means that healthcare is delivered in a way that respects people's values, cultural backgrounds, and specific health requirements. It's significant because it aims to improve both patient outcomes and the well-being of healthcare professionals by creating a more supportive and responsive healthcare environment. Without this approach, healthcare systems may become impersonal and less effective, potentially leading to poorer health outcomes and decreased satisfaction for both patients and staff.

What is Primary Care Workforce Development and why is it important?

Primary Care Workforce Development involves investing in and strengthening primary care teams. It's important because primary care serves as the foundation of the healthcare system, providing the first point of contact for most patients. A robust primary care workforce can effectively manage common health issues, coordinate care, and prevent more serious conditions from developing. Without strong primary care, healthcare systems can become overwhelmed with patients seeking specialized care for issues that could have been addressed earlier at the primary level.

What is Interprofessional Education, and why is it so important?

Interprofessional Education is the process of bringing together students and professionals from different healthcare disciplines to learn with, from, and about each other. This collaboration is significant as it promotes teamwork, improves communication, and enhances understanding of the diverse roles within a healthcare team, acknowledging cultural influences. The absence of effective interprofessional education can lead to fragmented care, misunderstandings among healthcare providers, and ultimately, poorer patient outcomes.

What are Community-Oriented Practices and why are they important?

Community-Oriented Practices encourage healthcare providers, especially general practitioners, to integrate deeply within the communities they serve. This involves understanding the unique health needs, cultural nuances, and social determinants of health within a specific community. It's significant because it enables healthcare providers to tailor their services to meet the specific needs of the population, leading to more effective and equitable healthcare delivery. Without a community-oriented approach, healthcare services may be misaligned with the actual needs of the community, resulting in lower engagement and poorer health outcomes.

What are the challenges of workforce mobility and migration, and why are they important to address?

Workforce mobility and migration in healthcare refer to the movement of healthcare professionals between different regions or countries. While some mobility can be beneficial for sharing expertise and filling workforce gaps, it can also create challenges such as workforce shortages in certain areas, particularly if many professionals migrate from less developed regions to more affluent ones. Right-wing populism can pose a threat by creating instability in healthcare and impacting the ability to create a stable health workforce. Addressing these challenges requires careful planning and policy interventions to ensure an equitable distribution of healthcare professionals and maintain the stability of healthcare systems.