From the health centre to social services: Closer cooperation in Lohja
Could a visit to the health centre also provide help with other stressful issues in a person’s life? Since mid-December, Lohja has been experimenting with a flexible cooperation model between social welfare and health care – for the benefit of the customer.
In Espoo, the project to make cooperation between health centres and social services closer has already been ongoing since 2017 in five large health centres.
Social guidance at health centres was expanded to Lohja on 13 December 2021. This means that the health centre can make an appointment with a social advisor for the customer if it looks like the customer might need support with social rehabilitation or in a difficult time in their life.
Doctors and nurses can also consult social advisors, i.e. negotiate and discuss with a social advisor over the phone or by e-mail about the customer’s situation with the customer’s permission or anonymously.
Lohja to bring social services to the customer
The health centre in the centre of Lohja also adopted the so-called walk-in service, in which customers can seek out services themselves by walking directly in from the street, for example, and visiting the health centre service desk. However, the service is primarily intended for customers of the health centre either for services sought at their own initiative or referred to them by a health care professional.
”The objective is to create a low-threshold clinic where customers would receive guidance and advice quickly and easily,” says Head of Social Services Heli Ranta-Salonen from Lohja.
The social advisory service is open for a few hours on Mondays. It is intended for all people of working age, but pensioners and customers with families are also welcome.
The experiences from Lohja are encouraging.
”During the pilot, ten customers in very different situations used our walk-in service. People needed help with issues concerning dealing with Kela, rehabilitation and employment, to name a few,” says Heli Ranta-Salonen.
Interaction between health care and social work professionals has also increased.
Aiming for streamlined services for customers
The pilot is part of a national social welfare development programme coordinated by the National Institute for Health and Welfare. It is called the OTSO pilot (Osallisuutta ja toimintakykyä tukeva sosiaalityö (social work to support participation and ability to function)). The objective of the Western Uusimaa pilot is to make the cooperation between social services and health care even closer and develop the roles of social advisor and social worker as part of health services.
The purpose is to create a uniform model for social services that could be employed in Western Uusimaa going forward.
”Our most important objective is to create streamlined services for our customers,” says Project Manager Pasi Sipola.
Karviainen and Raasepori have participated in the project group meetings, but they have not adopted the model in practice.
The OTSO pilot project coordinated by the National Institute for Health and Welfare will end on 31 May 2022, but the intention is to continue the service in Lohja and Espoo. The plan is to later adopt the model throughout the Western Uusimaa wellbeing service county.