Building of the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa begins: good cooperation between municipalities grows closer
Parliament passed laws on the reform of healthcare, social welfare and rescue services on 23 June 2021.
The establishment of the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa concerns the social and health services of Espoo, Hanko, Ingå, Karkkila, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi, Lohja, Siuntio, Raseborg and Vihti as well as the Rescue Department of Western Uusimaa. Western Uusimaa municipalities have been cooperating voluntarily for a long time in the development of healthcare and social welfare services. In addition, the municipalities have been responsible for organising rescue services in cooperation since 2004.
Healthcare and social welfare services will remain unchanged and the municipalities will be responsible for organising them until 31 December 2022. After that, the service provider will be the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa.
To ensure that Western Uusimaa residents are well
During the Western Uusimaa Social and Health Services project, which started in October 2020, the municipalities of Western Uusimaa have found a mutual aim: We want to serve our clients even better and deliver health and wellbeing benefits to our residents. The project has actively developed healthcare and social welfare services and operating models together with residents and staff. The first output to be completed was the Western Uusimaa nursing home portal(external link, opens in a new window). The Ideal Social and Health Services community(external link, opens in a new window), which is open to residents, will continue its activities even after the summer.
The Western Uusimaa Social and Health Services project has also prepared the restructuring in cooperation with municipalities, organisations, the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa and the other wellbeing services counties in Uusimaa.
Timetable, funding and resources pose challenges – residents’ services will be secured
The good cooperation between the municipalities of Western Uusimaa will continue and grow closer as we start building the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa. However, there are significant challenges ahead.
“Combining the healthcare and social welfare services of ten municipalities is a major administrative change. The new organisation will not be built in a day, and we only have a year and a half. The cost of change will be significant. It is estimated that connecting information systems and tendering alone will take EUR 70 million. In addition, due to COVID-19, we have a huge backlog in care. In our region, there are questions relating to the timetable, funding and resources. We will ensure that the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa receives sufficient resources to make the change, so that the formation of the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa is realistic and the objectives of the national health and social services reform are achieved,” says Sanna Svahn, Chair of the Steering Group of the Western Uusimaa Health and Social Services project and Director of Social and Health Services in Espoo.
Provisional preparatory body for Western Uusimaa to be set up in August
A provisional preparatory body (VATE) for the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa will start in autumn 2021. Its planned composition consists of nine members, four of whom are from Espoo, four from other municipalities in Western Uusimaa in accordance with a division agreed by the mayors and municipal managers of the area, and one from the Rescue Department of Western Uusimaa.
The planned composition will be decided by the municipal and city councils, the boards of districts for the special care of handicapped persons and the board of the rescue department during the summer. The plan proposes that the City Board of Espoo establish VATE within the statutory deadline in August and that Espoo be responsible for the administrative support of VATE.
Western Uusimaa Social and Health Services project to continue and support VATE
Until a county council is elected and a county government appointed by the council starts its operations, VATE will be responsible for preparing the start of the operations and administration of the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa. VATE may establish a preparatory organisation to support itself, in whose divisions representatives of the municipalities of Western Uusimaa may be widely appointed.
The Western Uusimaa Social and Health Services project will support VATE in developing the management, organisation and structures of the wellbeing services county as well as common digital and ICT solutions until the end of 2021. The development of healthcare and social welfare services will continue in the Future Health and Social Services Centres project until the end of 2022.
Staff employment contracts to continue
The employment contracts of the staff of the municipalities of Western Uusimaa will continue in their current form for the time being. Healthcare and social welfare personnel, rescue department personnel, school social workers and psychologists of student welfare and those working in healthcare and social welfare support services will be transferred to the service of the wellbeing services county of Western Uusimaa on 1 January 2023.
The rescue department is already operating on a regional basis, but the transfer of its activities and personnel to the new wellbeing services county will start within the implementation timeframe defined by VATE.
The Western Uusimaa Social and Health Services project online(external link, opens in a new window)