Proposal: Regionally comprehensive service network will be maintained in Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
The proposal of the Wellbeing Services County Director includes maintaining a comprehensive network of services and ensuring local services. The most important goal of the wellbeing services county is to improve basic-level services. An increasing need for services requires having local services outside municipal centres in the future.
According to Wellbeing Services County Director Sanna Svahn, residents of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County need a diverse network of local services.
“The municipalities in the region have done an excellent job and the wellbeing services county has a well-functioning network of services. However, the development of the service network must aim to solve challenges in social welfare and health care in the future,” says Wellbeing Services County Director Sanna Svahn.
The wellbeing services county must ensure high-quality services today and tomorrow. The limited resources must be used in such a way that they produce as much health benefit and well-being as possible for the residents of our region.
Demographic changes alter the need for services unevenly in the wellbeing services county. Western Uusimaa is becoming more multilingual and multicultural. The population is ageing rapidly, and at the same time the birth rate is falling in most of the region. Staff and clients must be guaranteed a safe environment, but many social welfare and health care properties are in poor condition. Future investments must be kept reasonable in the current difficult financial situation.
“We must also ensure that we continue to be an attractive and meaningful workplace for professionals,” says Svahn.
15 health centres and 7 community health centres ensure local services
Health centre services will be provided in the coming years at health centres and community health centres. The wide range of services at health centres will remain unchanged. The range of services at community health centres will not be as wide as it is at health centres, but all community health centres will provide the services of a doctor and a nurse on a constant basis.
“In addition to appointments with doctors and nurses, community health centres can offer rehabilitation services, mental health and substance abuse services, oral health care services and social services,” says Markus Paananen, Service Area Director for health and social services.
Health centres and community health centres, emergency clinics that are open even in the evenings, mobile services and new digital services will improve the availability of health centre services. Telephone communication will remain as a way to contact services.
Oral health care services, adult social services, mental health and substance abuse services, and rehabilitation services will be concentrated in larger and operationally stronger units.
7 family centres to be complemented by regional offices
In terms of services for children, young people and families, the number of family centres with comprehensive service will be increased. In addition, services will be provided in the regional offices of family centres, at schools and as services implemented at clients’ homes.
“The operating model for family centres aims to ensure that clients get the services smoothly and when they need them,” says Mari Ahlström, Service Area Director for services for children, youth and families.
Family centres will have a wide range of services and extended opening hours. Regional offices will rely on larger family centres in their operations. In connection with the establishment of new family centres, the operations of the local maternity and child health clinics will, as a rule, be transferred to family centres.
Some inpatient wards to focus on rehabilitation assessment periods in the future
In accordance with the proposal, the inpatient wards of Hanko and Karkkila will start carrying out rehabilitative assessment periods.
“As the population ages, the need for rapidly rehabilitating assessment periods grows. It is important that we have units specialising in such activities,” says Tuula Suominen, Service Area Director for elderly services.
Inpatient ward activities will be concentrated in the vicinity of hospital campuses. The development of hospital services will involve close cooperation with HUS Group.
Housing services to be developed in accordance with service strategy decisions
In housing services for senior citizens, 24-hour housing will be centralised and community-based housing will be increased in accordance with the service strategy. In the future, housing services for seniors will, as a rule, be located in regional and population centres. In the current situation, over half of the housing services in the wellbeing services county are provided as outsourced services, and the multi-provider model will still be used in the region.
Places in housing for disabled people who require a particularly high level of support will be increased in the wellbeing services county’s own service provision in accordance with the service strategy.
No changes to rescue department service network plans
The service network of rescue and emergency medical services will continue to consist of existing full-time and part-time fire stations and contract fire stations. The service network will be supported through cooperation with neighbouring rescue services.
Digital channels will be added and services implemented at home will be strengthened throughout the region
Digital services will be expanded and developed throughout the region. This includes, for example, self-reservation of appointments, symptom and service needs assessments, unhurried communication with a professional, digital surveys, coaching, communication of measurement results, renewal of prescriptions and review of personal data.
Residents of the wellbeing services county have shown interest in digital services in surveys. Digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence will support the professionals of the wellbeing services county in their work.
At the moment, the wellbeing services county implements, when measured in number of visits, a majority of its services at home. The mobile hospital LiiSa, which will expand to cover the entire region, and increasingly stronger services supporting disabled people living at home will increase the significance of services implemented at home even more.
Discussion on service network proposal to continue during spring
The residents, staff, municipalities and other stakeholders of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County are invited to participate in the discussion on the network of future services.
Residents’ wishes and opinions related to using the services will be assessed through surveys and telephone interviews in a panel based on random selection. The sample of telephone interviews was selected according to the population, age and language structure of the area. Staff’s opinions will be studied with an extensive personnel survey. During April, several residents’ evenings will be organised in the wellbeing services county and the proposal will be discussed at the evenings. Service area information sessions on key changes will be organised for staff.
The proposal will be sent to municipalities and other key stakeholders for comments on 25 March 2024. Anyone can comment on the proposal in the Otakantaa.fi service. All employee representatives of the wellbeing services county will have the opportunity to discuss the proposal in more detail at the seminar to be held on 16 April 2024 for the wellbeing service county’s employee representatives.
A negotiation committee of the county council for the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County will discuss the proposal in May. The aim is for the county council to decide on the guidelines for developing the service network on 11 July 2024. In the coming years, the service network will be developed on the basis of the guidelines to be set.
- Decision-making