HEROES Policy Board on Sustainability
Building Lasting Workforce Intelligence Systems Across Europe
This short article was prepared by Dora Toth (Project Manager, OKFŐ) and Thomas Hughes-Waage (Consultant, WHO Regional Office for Europe), based on contributions from Member States during the HEROES Policy Board on Sustainability.
On 17 November 2025, representatives from EU Member States, the European Commission, AGENAS, NIVEL and the WHO Regional Office for Europe came together for the HEROES Policy Board on Sustainability. What unfolded was more than a technical meeting. It became a collective reflection on how far Europe has come in strengthening health workforce planning, and how to ensure these gains do not vanish once the HEROES Joint Action concludes.
At the heart of the discussion was a simple but profound challenge: How do we transform short-term project achievements into permanent national capabilities? Across health systems, countries have made real progress in improving data, models, governance and planning capacity. Yet, as participants repeatedly underlined, sustainability requires more than upgraded tools; it needs robust institutions, political commitment and a culture that sees workforce intelligence as an essential, continuous component of the health system.
Countries began by sharing what HEROES has already changed in their systems. Several spoke about significant improvements in data infrastructure. Lithuania, for instance, migrated its forecasting model to an environment fully integrated with national registries, thereby improving the quality and reliability of its projections. Hungary completed the initial upload of its national HR registry for state-run institutions, modernising the licensing and professional data landscape. Estonia expanded its iterative forecasting model from a single profession to a genuinely multi-professional tool covering midwives, psychologists, physiotherapists and more, while Norway announced plans to make its forecasting model code publicly available, an unprecedented step towards transparency and shared EU capability. Slovakia used improved data to set new hospital staffing standards, and Germany completed its first national baseline projection up to 2040 using a newly developed federal information and forecasting system.
These concrete achievements underscored a wider message heard throughout the session: reliable data and credible models are becoming the “new currency” of health workforce planning across Europe. But, as many delegates emphasised, data and models alone do not create sustainability. They must be anchored in governance structures that persist through political cycles and personnel changes.
This was reflected in the governance reforms countries shared. Croatia established two permanent planning bodies, embedding workforce forecasting into its public administration for the first time. Czechia likewise is now creating a dedicated HRH structure within its institutional framework. Portugal is moving towards interministerial and intersectoral governance mechanisms, including a proposed national Observatory to provide long-term workforce intelligence. Ireland has institutionalised technical groups that bring stakeholders together to build consensus across government, while Italy is strengthening regional planning capabilities through sustained TSI support and WHO technical guidance.
Other countries highlighted innovative arrangements that reflect their unique system structures. Slovenia described the drafting of its first-ever national workforce strategy. Spain reported progress in aligning regional data sources to improve comparability and forecasting. Belgium emphasised the need to integrate planning with broader reforms on education and mobility. The Netherlands highlighted the importance of developing shared methodologies and training resources, while Sweden emphasised collaboration between national and regional authorities to improve data sharing. Despite different governance models, countries converged on one lesson: without institutional anchoring, even the best tools remain fragile.
Equally central to sustainability is the capacity of the planners themselves. Many countries used HEROES to invest in skills that extend beyond the project’s lifetime. Portugal is establishing a national network of trained planners supported by accredited programmes and continuous learning cycles. Lithuania has trained more than 350 professionals and strengthened its forecasting teams. Czechia, Estonia and Finland emphasised stakeholder workshops and mutual learning sessions to build a shared technical language. Across all systems, the same critical insight emerged: sustainable planning depends on continuity, succession and structured handover. Planning cannot rely on individuals; it must live within institutions.
Though technical progress was substantial, political support emerged as the most decisive factor for long-term impact. Workforce planning requires stable financing, predictable governance and policy alignment that extends well beyond electoral cycles. Ireland, Portugal and Czechia highlighted ongoing efforts to secure political buy-in for long-term workforce strategies. Several countries highlighted the importance of legislative measures to sustain registry systems, data-sharing mechanisms, and planning mandates. Others noted the need for EU-level advocacy to maintain visibility and funding for health workforce intelligence after HEROES ends.
Against this backdrop, participants explored the HEROES Framework for Sustainable Health Workforce Intelligence Systems, developed by WHO Regional Office for Europe under Work Package 4. The framework offers a structured hierarchy, from data and models to governance and political context, that reflects the interdependence of technical, organisational and environmental factors. Countries’ responses to the Sustainability Factors conjoint analysis further illustrated how these factors interact in practice: a strong minimum dataset consistently ranked as the single most important prerequisite for sustainability, followed by governance structures with clearly defined responsibilities, the ability to retain and transfer capabilities within planning teams and political leadership that ensures stable resources. Notably, countries indicated that most perceived sustainability gains occur once a factor reaches a solid, functional level; perfection is not required, but consistency is.
Looking forward, Member States expressed overwhelming support for sustaining international collaboration beyond the HEROES Joint Action. Countries called for a permanent regional platform or coordination mechanism to continue peer learning, share methodologies, align forecasting practices and maintain access to expert support. Many saw the Policy Board itself as a promising template for this future structure. Others emphasised the need for joint modelling resources, shared datasets, capacity-building workshops and twinning partnerships between countries with similar system challenges. Several highlighted that without ongoing EU-level coordination, the risk of returning to fragmented national efforts is high.
The session closed with a collective recognition: HEROES has not only delivered new tools and capabilities; it has created a community, a shared language and a strategic vision for long-term improvements to workforce planning and intelligence systems. The Policy Board will play a central role in shaping the Final Sustainability Plan and the EU-level Action Plan, ensuring that what was built together does not end with the project, but becomes a lasting part of Europe’s health systems.
As several participants echoed, sustainability is not the end of the HEROES journey. It is the beginning of what comes after, a stronger, more resilient and future-proof workforce intelligence system continually evolving to meet new needs and challenges.