For the first time since the Second World War, the average life expectancy of Europeans is declining. Disparities between advantaged and disadvantaged groups are widening, and premature death and disability are on the upswing. In addition, the costs of health and social services have become unmanageable for many countries. Unless truly dramatic and significant change takes place, these trends will not be reversed. Effective health systems reform requires strategic assessment, development and deployment of available human resources.
Nurses alone constitute the single largest category of health workforce across Europe.
They can be found across a variety of settings and in virtually every country. Together with midwives, they offer great opportunity in their numbers. In addition to availability, nursing as a discipline has a unique history and culture that is congruent with what one might desire in a public health workforce. Nurses and midwives offer another advantage because of their presence in the community. They do much of their formal and informal work within reach of people where they live, work, learn and play.