Pandemic, staff shortage increased backlog in care, treatment

The prolongation of the pandemic has resulted in a backlog in treatment and services in areas such as oral health care, non-urgent specialised medical care and, in particular, basic public services for vulnerable clients, according to a national assessment of health and social services published on Wednesday by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

In the early stages of the pandemic in spring 2020, non-urgent social welfare and health care services were reduced in both basic and specialised medical services, said the assessment, adding that resources were allocated to tasks related to the prevention and management of the pandemic and to the treatment of coronavirus patients.

At the same time, the amount of remote services, however, was increased.

The years of the pandemic have affected the wellbeing of children and young people: remote education and distance learning as well as reductions in school and student health care services for children and young people undermined early support.

Anxiety and depression symptoms that have been becoming increasingly prevalent among young people for several years began to rise even more sharply.

The national shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists has hampered the availability of timely mental health services.

The number of clients whose waiting period exceeded the maximum time for guaranteed access to healthcare in specialised psychiatric care multiplied from 2019 to 2021.

In services for older people, the prolonged pandemic and the growing shortage of home care personnel also delayed service needs assessments and restricted the availability of home care services.

The labour shortage in health and social services as rapidly expanded to more and more professional groups, such as nurses and practical nurses.

“The worsening national shortage of personnel in many professional groups in the social welfare and health care sector is a major challenge for the wellbeing services counties that will soon organise services, as the population will continue to age and the need for services will increase,” said Nina Knape, Director of Assessment at the THL.

On the other hand, according to Knape, the use of remote e-services has increased during the pandemic.

Client and patient records systems are still fragmented in most areas. Solutions are promptly needed as part of strengthening knowledge management.

Ageing, population morbidity and problems with well-being affect different areas in different ways, which is reflected in the costs of health and social services.

The net operating costs of health and social services which the municipalities are responsible for organising vary greatly between different regions of the country, as is also the case with the costs in proportion to the population’s service needs.

The costs in proportion to the population’s service needs are lowest in the North Karelia and Päijät-Häme regions. Correspondingly, the costs are highest in the Uusimaa regions.

The national assessment is based on assessments of the wellbeing services counties by the THL published between November and January as well as other studies and reports.