Abstract

Finnish government has launched 26 key projects for years 2016–2018. Five of these key projects focus on health and welfare. One of these key projects in named ‘Home care for older people will be developed and informal care enhanced in all age groups’. The total funding for the project is 30 million euros. The Ministry of Social Welfare and Health will coordinate this project that will be executed in cross administrational co-operation.

The expected results of project are to increase equality among older people and their informal carers, to more efficiently coordinate services, and try to cut the increase of health and social care costs in coming years. The program for services for older people has three aims (1) to create an integrated service entity for older people for 18 regions that will be responsible arranging health and social services for their population in the beginning of 2019, (2) to have an experiment on regional level center for guidance of services, a single entry point for all support and services, and (3) to find new innovative ways to provide home care services.

The program for enhancing informal care has both experiments and implementations. In the call, the funded experiments will include models for supporting informal cares (1) of handicapped children, (2) of mental health rehabilitees, and 3) of older people with dementia. In addition, regional level centers will be funded for supporting informal carers with peer coaching, training, health checks, and rehabilitation.

The project has a national level steering group representing various public and private organizations and care providers, a project managerial group, and a council of scientific advisors including ten professors from different disciplines. Main principals of the project include digitalization, evidence based leadership and management, and communication. A full scale transformation program will be implemented.

An open call with specific evidence based criteria for funding will be launched in May, 2016. In beginning of September, the results of the call will be available.

Slides