World Health Organization sets out twenty thematic areas for developing and supporting care workers

20 October 2026

The World Health Organization published a 33-page technical document on 20 October 2026 titled Development, management and support of care workers, subtitled Towards an integrated health and care workforce: policy options, with ISBN 978-92-4-012401-1. It was produced by the WHO Academy and is released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The document sets out evidence-based policy options for planning, developing, managing and supporting paid and unpaid care workers who provide personal care in homes, health services and residential settings. It is based on a realist synthesis literature review and advice from a global WHO Advisory Group, and is organised around 20 thematic areas across the entry, working and exit stages of the workforce lifespan. Gender equality, migrant status and employment settings run through the document as cross-cutting equity and human rights concerns. The priority measures identified are stronger governance of education and training and better working conditions, including fair wages and social protection. The intended audience is policy-makers and planners across health and related sectors.