This book has attempted to open up new perspectives in the topical health policy debate on professional governance that has become increasingly widely discussed in academic, policy and practice contexts. In this respect, we have argued for the need to link public policy and governance in healthcare to the study of professions. It has been our intention to add greater sophistication to, and provide more empirical evidence on, the complex ‘colonising’ debate on changing models of governance – currently biased towards both Anglo-American approaches and medical governance – instead of offering another ‘quick fix’ to a health policy debate overshadowed by normative assumptions on ‘what works’. Greater sensitivity to national and cultural contexts and the varieties of professional groups and interests involved in healthcare may help us to better understand the translation of policies into practice and back again – the ‘how’ of the changes associated with new health policies.

The research contained in this volume brings into view a diverse and fluid workforce – that includes new professional groups and new forms of professionalism – which is responding to the changing demands on healthcare. It also puts the spotlight on the multiple challenges arising from integration and collaboration that have too often been overlooked in the policy debate. Focusing on the key themes of policy and workforce change, the book looks across countries and professional groups, mapping out key trends.

We now review the main findings across the chapters through the lens of the topics outlined in the Introduction and highlight the novel contribution the book makes to the debate over how to govern health professions. We begin by discussing the significance of the nation state as a navigator and the demand for institutional regulation across the various health professional groups, and how this is connected to new forms of professionalism. This is followed by tracing the translation of new forms of governance into professional development and the reconfiguration of boundaries, highlighting opportunities as well as new risks. The dynamics of de-regulation and the demands for re-regulation are also considered with regard to a mobile workforce, including different challenges, such as the gendered flexibilisation of work arrangements and migration tracks. We conclude by highlighting some issues regarding the future governance of a diverse international healthcare workforce.