The paper forms part of the Department’s long-term health and social care workforce planning projections and the work underway to plan for future workforce needs of the health and social care sectors. This planning is necessary in the context of a growing and ageing population, chronic diseases levels rising and our high reliance on foreign educated workers amid a global shortage of healthcare workers.

The paper shows that there is an urgent need to build future supply of healthcare workers and sets out an evidence-based strategic direction for the health and social care workforce for the next 15 years. The Economic and Social Research Institute Capacity Reviews commissioned by the Department of Health inform the demand projections within this paper and provide a crucial evidence base. Projections and gap analysis show an expectation of a shortfall across health and social care staff categories modelled. The analysis also demonstrates that with the implementation of planned health policies and workforce reforms there will be an average annual growth rate required of approximately 1.4% to 2% from 2023 to 2040 for the professions modelled. Population demographics are the major driver for this increased demand. A whole of Government response is required to support the Higher Education Institutions to significantly expand student capacity to meet the future needs of the health, disability and education sectors.

This paper sets out twenty actions under the following five interconnected pillars:

• Plan: Use evidence and long-term workforce projections to meet future workforce needs.
• Build: Build future workforce supply through the expansion of student places and match the investment in workforce with the needs of the population.
• Optimise Performance: Reform, maximise capacity and optimise health service performance to support the development of innovative models of care as envisaged under Sláintecare. Having the right mix of healthcare professionals with the right skills, supported by the right technology is essential.
• Recruit and Retain: Consider tailored interventions to improve recruitment and retention. The same strategies may have different effects on different age groups, life stages, professions, locations and genders, and retention efforts need to be tailored accordingly.
• Invest: According to the WHO, targeted investment that delivers a sustainable workforce should be regarded as an investment for the future and not a cost.

P.29 We also must acknowledge the 80% of health outcomes from acute to chronic disorders are influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors—known as social determinants of health—rather than direct medical care, highlighting the critical role of community conditions and policy in shaping health (Marmot, 2005). A sustainable health system is founded on the prevention of ill health and the reduction of health inequalities, ensuring long-term benefits for the population, reducing pressure on the health system. Social inclusion measures are designed to ensure that all the people of Ireland have the opportunity to enjoy their full health and wellbeing. Socially excluded groups including people who are homeless, Traveller and Roma communities, international protection applicants, and people who use drugs/alcohol can often face barriers in accessing healthcare and services...

P.56 ...More recent data from the PSI following a survey of the register in 2024 (Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, 2024) suggests that 92% of Pharmacists were practising, based off 1,349 pharmacists of the total 7,585 completing the survey. 86% were in patient facing roles, with 71% working in the community, 14% in hospitals, 4% in Industry, 3% in Academia, 3% in Regulatory and 1% in Research. 4% identified as working in other, which may still be patient facing such as addiction services, community health centres or vaccination centres. 10% also indicated that they work in more than one practice areas with many working across patient-facing and non-patient facing roles (Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, 2024)...

P.82 Social Workers - Social work aims to empower individuals, groups and communities to take charge of their own lives within their own environment and social context. They operate in a diverse range of settings such as child and family services, mental health and medical settings, probation, youth services, and within the community in the context of public health, primary care, housing, and addiction services. There are also multiple ways to become a Social Worker through the traditional undergraduate and postgraduate pathways but also through a tertiary degree or a paid apprenticeship programme...

P.100 For the wider population, lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, physical inactivity and traditional clinical risk factors such as obesity and cholesterol are well known factors driving demand for health services, but we also must factor in levels of loneliness in Ireland and how can society tackle this. According to the first EU wide survey measuring loneliness, Ireland has the highest rate with 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely (JRC, 2022)...