EFN, represented by the EFN President, was one of the speakers at the European Health Summit 2024, highlighting the rising levels of mental health issues affecting EU nurses. He made it clear that difficult working conditions, poor salaries that do not match responsibilities, and lack of recognition are the main contributing factors. Especially Post COVID-19, nurses are experiencing all the symptoms of burnout as never before. This pushes them to leave the profession – 30% left in 2023 after Covid! – resulting in even more difficult working conditions for those nurses that remain, creating a vicious cycle.
This risks pushing the resilience of the EU’s healthcare systems to the brink. Therefore, EFN President made it clear that we must tackle this urgently, including by upscaling EU best practices, such as the EU funded projects BeWell and KeepCaring, where EFN is a key partner, and ensure that the mental health issues of nurses receive the political attention that they deserve.
In addition, this was a great opportunity for the EFN President and Secretary General to meet MEPs and Health Ministers, coming out of EPSCO, who have shown support for EU nurses. MEP Leire Pajin, S&D, made it clear that health must be the central pillar of a Union of Preparedness; MEP Dolors Montserrat, EPP, emphasised the need to invest in cross-border health data sharing for healthcare innovation (EHDS); MEP Aurelijus Veryga, ECR, explained that investing in health, is investing in Preparedness; MEP Marta Temido, S&D, highlighted the need to invest in the healthcare workforce; MEP Vytenis Andriukaitis, S&D, raised the need to facilitate health research across the EU; MEP Nicola Gonzales Casales, S&D, a nurse himself, called for nurses to get more involved in politics, and for breaking the stigmas related to mental health issues of the nursing workforce; MEP Andras Kulja, EPP, stressed that we must educate patients/citizens on healthy lifestyles, an area where nurses play a key role; and finally, MEP Tilly Metz, The Greens, called for speeding up the green transition of the EU healthcare systems.
The Health Ministers, from their side, emphasised the need for EU cross border cooperation in tackling not only mental health issues but also AMR, and non-communicable diseases. They highlighted that while this will not be easy, the COVID-19 pandemic response showed that this can be achieved.
The EFN took this opportunity to remind that this cannot be achieved without a strong and resilient EU nursing workforce.