Bridge

In Poland, nurses face significant challenges, including low recognition and lack of access to continuous training. Complex working conditions lead to 60% of nurses working double jobs, with 75% working up to 100 additional hours a month. Poland has one of the lowest ratios of nurses per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU (5.1 compared to the EU average of 9.4). Over 30% of Polish nurses leave to work in other countries after their studies, and the average nurse is over 50 years old. Additionally, 30,000 licensed nurses are not practicing, with many citing low salaries, work overload, and lack of promotion prospects.

Home care nurses in Poland receive insufficient education, with no continuous training provided by the public system. Nutrition, wound care, and rehabilitation are not included in their professional training, leading many nurses to pay for additional courses themselves.

Poland also faces a shortage of public long-term care services. The aging population and the need for replacement nurses exacerbate this issue. The coverage of the dependent population with targeted services is among the lowest in the EU. Long-term patients, often with multiple diseases, require specialized knowledge and standards of medical treatment, which many nurses lack.

Patients suffer from the absence of an existing care path for dependent patients at home, leading to reliance on untrained nurses or informal carers. This results in high levels of frustration and inadequate care. Malnutrition is a significant problem, with 30-50% of discharged patients being malnourished, which slows recovery. Only around 1.6% of patients entitled to long-term care receive nutritional support.

Education and contact with long-term nurses are challenging as they work independently and are not centralized around institutions. There is no discharge system to support patients at home and in their careers, further complicating the provision of consistent and high-quality care.

These local challenges highlight the need for effective interventions to improve long-term care in Poland.

In 2017, a coalition of partners including UDAROWCY, POLSPEN, ConvaTec, Nutricia, Appetite for Life Organization, and the National Chamber of Nurses launched the Bridge project to improve long-term patient care in Poland. The project supports nurses in home care by addressing challenges related to training, certification, and access to resources.

The project is built around four main pillars:

Educational
At the heart of the project is the Long-Term Nurses Academy—the first nationwide certified program in Poland designed specifically for long-term care. Over 1,600 nurses have been trained through face-to-face and online courses covering key topics such as wound healing, medical nutrition, and rehabilitation. The curriculum is accredited by the National Chamber of Nurses and tailored to daily practice in home care settings.

Digital
To complement in-person training, a dedicated online platform provides continuous learning opportunities and practical tools for nurses, caregivers, and patients. The platform includes e-learning modules, case studies, and educational materials that empower nurses in their work and help patients better understand their rights and treatment options.

Scientific
In collaboration with organizations like POLSPEN and Udarowcy, the project developed clinical guidelines that promote evidence-based standards in long-term care. These guidelines support consistency and quality in nursing practices and are being integrated into national training programs for healthcare professionals.

Systemic and Social
Bridge also works to influence healthcare policy by collaborating with the National Chamber of Nurses to expand the official scope of home care services and promote the inclusion of nutrition and wound care in nurse education. Communication efforts – including exhibitions, press campaigns, and educational comics – have raised awareness about the critical role of nurses and the challenges of at-home care, reaching millions of people across Poland.

By combining hands-on training, digital resources, clinical standards, and institutional engagement, the Bridge project aims to strengthen the role of nurses in the healthcare system and help ensure better outcomes for long-term patients.