North Jutland parties agree 307m kroner to cut waiting lists

All political parties in North Jutland have agreed on a budget that adds 307 million kroner to the region’s healthcare spending next year, DR reports. The deal aims to reduce waiting times in child and adolescent psychiatry, recruit more staff to pressured hospitals and bring more general practitioners closer to residents.

Regional council chair Mads Duedahl of the Liberal Party called the agreement “close to historically good” and said he was not aware of the region ever having allocated more money.

Longest psychiatric wait in Denmark

The budget sets aside funding to reduce waiting times in child and adolescent psychiatry. Figures from the Danish Health Data Authority show that children and young people in North Jutland waited an average of 228 days for a psychiatric assessment in the first quarter of 2026, the longest average waiting time in Denmark.

The region will also send 10 million kroner to municipalities so that children experiencing difficulties can receive help closer to home and, ideally, avoid needing psychiatric treatment.

Lene Linnemann of the Socialist People’s Party, who chairs the regional psychiatry committee, said she was relieved that a total of 52 million kroner had been allocated to psychiatry next year.

“We have never been close to this amount before. Although the money does not solve everything, it gives us more opportunities,” she said.

However, Linnemann said she could not estimate how much waiting times would fall over the coming year. More children and young people are being referred than previously, and it is unclear whether that trend will continue.