Effective health workforce planning requires strong governance structures that provide direction, accountability, and long-term sustainability. The Governance domain of HEROES focuses on creating the institutional conditions that enable planning activities to be prioritised, resourced, coordinated, and successfully implemented across the health system.

A well-functioning planning system depends on clearly defined responsibilities for workforce planning and policy development, sustainable investment in planning capacity, and active engagement of relevant stakeholders. It also requires robust mechanisms for monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and continuous learning to ensure that workforce strategies remain responsive to changing needs and emerging challenges.

By promoting collaboration, transparency, and shared ownership, the Governance component supports a common understanding that health workforce planning is a medium- to long-term strategic process. Strong governance helps ensure that workforce decisions are aligned with broader health system goals and contribute to sustainable, resilient, and high-performing health services.