WHO and Health Education England (HEE) collaborate internationally to develop the next generation of Human Resources for Health (HRH) system leaders. The desire is to create a lasting impact in strengthening health systems in partner countries. In support of the International Year of Health and Care Workers, the WHO and HEE are hosting a series of four open access seminars focusing on the importance of health workforce strengthening. Open to all, these explore the powerful impact that effective workforce planning can have on health systems throughout the world. The first of four seminars took place on the 13th December 2021. It brought together international leaders in the field of workforce planning and enabled attendees to understand the importance of systemic workforce planning, as well as its contribution to the development of strengthening of health care systems.

Seminar Two - ‘State of Shock': the role of workforce planning in responding to shocks in demand for health and care - will explore in greater depth the key issues raised in Seminar One, specifically the development of health systems and the challenge of responding to both short-term ‘shocks’ and longer-term trends. System shocks can cause radical and sudden mismatches between the demand for health and care and the workforce required to deliver it. Covid-19 and its impact on rapidly increasing demand in the last couple of years and its likely knock-on effects will be a key feature of this seminar.