UNDER PRESSURE: SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF EUROPE’S ONCOLOGY WORKFORCE
The crisis within Europe’s health and cancer workforce requires urgent attention. Recent events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, continue to take a huge toll on healthcare professionals, and the growing shortages within the cancer workforce are having a profound impact on the dedicated workers on the frontlines of cancer care.
This is why the European Cancer Organisation, under the leadership of its Workforce Network and supporting partners, launched Time to Accelerate for our Workforce, an extensive public awareness campaign to address this pressing issue.
At today's European Cancer Summit, the latest element of this campaign is being unveiled: the results of an extensive Pan-European survey of more than 700 cancer professionals from 30 countries – together with many of their personal stories.
Among the key highlights of the survey:
• 19% of cancer professionals experience high levels of burnout
• 51% say their supervisors do not care about their well-being
• 52% report that their workload seems 'endless'
• 55% report that administrative procedures make their job too difficult
• 77% reported often needing to work overtime.
Ensuring a well-supported, adequately staffed oncology workforce is essential for advancing cancer prevention, enhancing the quality of care, and ultimately reducing mortality rates across Europe.
The report identifies 10 core recommendations for immediate action, including:
1. Achieving a common EU Action Plan to tackle oncology and health workforce shortages
2. Making health workforce planning a formal part of EU health emergency preparedness and resilience activity
3. Monitoring and reporting exercises on levels of burnout and anxiety experienced by oncology professionals across Europe
4. Implementing early intervention and training programmes and promoting peer-support networks for the cancer workforce
Speaking on the report’s publication, the ECO Workforce Network Co-Chairs, and leading authors said:
Prof Wim Ceelen, Co-chair of the European Cancer Organisation’s Workforce Network; European Society of Surgical Oncology: ‘An Oncology workforce struggling to carry out their work effectively is a clear and major risk for European health systems, in both the short and long term. We need the support from institutions and governments so we can coordinate action to prevent a further burden on our critical health infrastructure.’
Dr Mirjam Crul, Co-chair of the European Cancer Organisation’s Workforce Network; European Society of Oncology Pharmacy: ‘We are hoping that the significant research put into this report sparks the conversation among policymakers and channels renewed interest in innovative solutions to address the cancer workforce crisis, so cancer professionals can focus their attention on providing the best care for the patients.’
Dr Wendy Oldenmenger, Co-chair of the European Cancer Organisation’s Workforce Network; European Oncology Nursing Society: ‘Cancer is a major cause of deaths in Europe and must be addressed as such. If the professionals that treat it cannot carry out their work properly, patient safety will get compromised. We need to see that European leaders pay the attention this crisis deserves and reflect it in their political agendas.’
