Faroe Islands health school director warns of severe staffing crisis in elderly care

The director of the Faroe Islands’ health school has issued a stark warning over the inability to recruit enough staff for elderly care, calling the situation a “fact on the ground” that demands urgent political attention.

In a letter published in Gjár, Vivie Davidsen, head of the Faroese Health School (Heilsuskúlan), revealed that the institution cannot even fill a single class in the capital, Tórshavn, for uncertified care workers with over three years of experience in elderly care.

“Only 14 people applied when we offered the competency assessment for health assistants working in elderly care,” Davidsen wrote. “It is alarming how the foundation for future care is crumbling when we cannot fill a single class with experienced staff in the capital.”

She stressed that the shortage reflects the broader reality of elderly care across the Faroe Islands, where demand for workers far outstrips supply.