Social Services and Patient Ombudsperson
You can contact the social services and patient ombudsperson if you are dissatisfied with the treatment, service or care you have received in social welfare and healthcare services or in early childhood education and care.
The ombudsperson can also be contacted by family members and other people close to clients and patients, residents and partner organisations dealing with matters concerning clients and patients.
The social services and patient ombudsperson
- provides advice and guidance on matters related to the application of the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients, the Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients and the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care
- provides advice on matters concerning the status and rights of patients and clients
- provides information on the rights of patients and clients
- works to promote and safeguard clients’ rights
- provides advice on and, if necessary, assists with submitting an objection
- advises patients and clients on how to bring their matter before the competent authority.
The social services and patient ombudsperson does not
- investigate a patient’s or client’s case
- make decisions and has no authority to alter decisions made by public officials
- take a position on the actions of the unit that provided the care or service or on the conduct of its staff
- intervene in the provision of care or services
- interpret the contents of documents.
Marjo Tähtinen is responsible for the service.
How to contact the social services and patient ombudsperson
You can contact us in whichever way suits you best. We reply to contact requests sent via Lunna within no more than three (3) weekdays.
Digital services are an easy and secure way to contact us whenever it suits you best.
Send us a non-urgent message
Log in to Lunna using strong authentication(external link)
- Select ‘Discussions’
- Under services, select ‘Social and Patient Ombudsman’
Leave an anonymous contact request
You can also contact us without strong authentication
Log in to Lunna without strong authentication(external link)
- Select ‘Discussions’
- Under services, select ‘Social and Patient Ombudsman’. We will call you back.
Contact us by phone
Call the centralised customer service on weekdays between 8:00 and 16:00.
Telephone number: 029 151 2000
Through the customer service, you can obtain:
- information about the ombudsperson’s telephone hours
- the direct number and information on how to contact the ombudsperson during telephone hours.
Contact us by post
Send a letter
Address: P.O. Box 33, 02033 Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County
Please write on the envelope: Social Services and Patient Ombudsperson
Send your letter to the registry office
You can also bring the letter to the registry office at Kamreerintie 2 A, 02270 Espoo.
Please write on the envelope: Social Services and Patient Ombudsperson
Correspondence with public authorities by email
The email address sosiaali.potilasasiavastaava@luvn.fi is intended for correspondence with public authorities. This includes, for example, contacts from partner organisations and public authorities.
Call charges
The ombudsperson service is free of charge, but calls are subject to a fee.
Since 2024, calls to telephone numbers beginning with 029, 019 and 09 as well as mobile phone numbers have been charged according to your own telephone subscription as follows:
- a local network charge when calling from a landline
- a mobile call charge when calling from a mobile phone
- an international call charge when calling from abroad.
Queueing is also subject to a charge. If you use a service package with a fixed monthly fee, please check with your operator whether calls to nationwide subscriber numbers, i.e. numbers beginning with 029, are included in your package. The wellbeing services county does not charge clients any fees in addition to the normal call charges.
The amendment to section 65 of the Act on Electronic Communications Services entered into force on 31 December 2023. Calls to nationwide subscriber numbers may cost no more than a local network charge or mobile call charge.
Matters related to specialised medical care
The HUS patient ombudsperson provides advice on matters related to specialised medical care.
See the contact details of the HUS patient ombudspersons here(external link)
The brochure also includes different language versions.