The BeWell Skills Strategy aims to ensure that the European health and care workforce is equipped with the digital and green skills needed to deliver safe, effective, and sustainable care now and in the future. While primarily focused on supporting those who work in health and care, the Strategy has direct implications for patients - because a better-trained, more resilient workforce means higher-quality care and improved health outcomes for everyone.

For patients and patient organisations, the Strategy represents a commitment to:

• Improving care quality and safety by training professionals to use digital tools that support accurate, timely, and personalised care.
• Promoting more sustainable healthcare, with professionals trained to reduce environmental impact - helping to protect health today and for future generations.
• Strengthening communication and collaboration, so that patients are better informed, more involved in decisions, and treated with empathy and respect.
• Reducing health inequalities, through more inclusive training that reflects the needs of diverse patient populations.
• Enhancing trust and transparency, by preparing the workforce to work with new technologies (like electronic health records and AI) in ethical and patient-centred ways.

The Strategy also encourages health professionals and systems to listen more closely to patients when designing services and education. Patient voices and lived experience are essential to shaping a care system that is not only skilled, but also compassionate, inclusive, and responsive.

As a patient or patient advocate, your insight is vital to ensuring that health and care systems serve people effectively. The Strategy invites you to be part of this ongoing dialogue - to help shape training that meets real-world needs and strengthens the relationship between providers and the people they care for.

For further information, you can read the full version of the Skills Strategy here and the summary here.