A Cancer Workforce in Crisis
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UNDER PRESSURE: SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF EUROPE’S ONCOLOGY WORKFORCE
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. At the European Cancer Summit, under the leadership of its Workforce Network, ECO unveils 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.
What is the Cancer Workforce Crisis?
The current shortages within the cancer workforce are having a profound impact on the dedicated men and women on the frontlines of cancer care in Europe. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and many others – they are all struggling to cope. More and more of them report burnout, forcing them to leave their professions. Those who remain are given more responsibilities, larger caseloads, and ever-taller stacks of paperwork, resulting in even less time with patients. Mistakes under these conditions are inevitable, and care is being compromised.
From bad to worse:
The World Health Organization reported that more than 40% of physicians in Europe will be retiring within the next 5 years (source) - and that was before Covid-19. The unprecedented disruptions caused by the pandemic put new, unimaginable strains on an already fragile cancer workforce, strains that continue to grow throughout Europe.
This must stop. It's time for action on Europe’s cancer workforce crisis!
What is the European Cancer Organisation doing?
The European Cancer Organisation, its member societies and supporting community, are embarking on a major new initiative and we invite you, your organisations and networks, to join us on this pan-European campaign launched during the European Cancer Summit 2023.
You can read more about the launch here.
This effort is focused on changing policies within national governments and health institutions to improve working conditions for cancer professionals. Together, we need to document the full extent of the crisis, assemble more and better data, case studies of impact, and best practices and policy recommendations to highlight and promote.
This is an urgent call to action. We need to hear directly from healthcare providers. Tell us your stories and how the crisis has impacted you, your work, and your colleagues. How has it affected patient care? Do you have examples of how things should and could be better? Do you have relevant data that could help shine light on these issues?
Change cannot happen unless everyone understands the true scope of the problem. Share your insights and experience with us. Sign up by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and join one or more of the project's three areas of focus, below.
