Caution issued to Ostrobothnia welfare region in Finland over psychiatric care delays

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland has issued a caution to the Ostrobothnia welfare region regarding the availability of psychiatric specialized healthcare services for adults. The main concern lies in the excessively long waiting times for neuropsychiatric assessments. Miia Kaartinen, the regional medical director, attributes these delays to staff shortages.

The investigation revealed that adult psychiatric patients have been unable to consult with doctors in their native languages, Finnish or Swedish. Although the welfare region was not surprised by the caution, it has acknowledged the issues and begun implementing measures, such as transferring ADHD assessments from specialized healthcare back to primary care.

Kosti Hyvärinen, the director of psychosocial services, believes that utilizing other welfare region services will alleviate the current backlog. “Actions have already been taken, and efforts are underway to streamline processes so that the assessments required for patient care, not just for neuropsychiatric patients, can increasingly be managed by primary healthcare providers,” Hyvärinen stated.

Hyvärinen also mentioned that improvements to services will focus on the broader issues affecting adult psychiatry in Ostrobothnia, aiming to ensure smoother care pathways in all necessary situations. He emphasizes the goal of reorganizing workflows to enhance efficiency and comply with legal requirements. However, he does not share the agency’s view on workforce shortages, suggesting that the focus should be on workflow innovation rather than shortages.

Furthermore, the situation concerning psychiatrists is reportedly improving following the competitive bidding for external medical services. The Regional State Administrative Agency will now monitor the corrective measures taken by the Ostrobothnia welfare region and their impacts, with a report on these actions due by next May.