Everyone has the right to high-quality care and treatment
We must secure every individual’s right to good care and treatment, regardless of their place of residence and income, also in the future. The individual must be the focus of care. It is important that you can communicate in your native language if you are sick or need support. Access to educated nursing staff in both national languages is of key importance for the future of Finland, and we must invest in increasing student intake and in ensuring the staff’s wellbeing at work. Women account for a large share of the employees of wellbeing services counties. The counties thus have a great responsibility to ensure an equal employer policy and salary equality.
The SFP wants care and treatment to become increasingly smooth when the wellbeing services counties assume responsibility for health and social services. It is important for us that you receive the care and assistance you need instead of being shunted from one place to the next. Our smaller hospitals will play a central role in the new wellbeing services counties and must be able to provide diverse medical services close to you. The SFP wants small hospitals to be developed, not closed down! SFP wants the primary care units to be as close to you as possible.
The SFP emphasises the important role of preventive healthcare and rehabilitation. The services must be easily accessible and appropriate. Rehabilitation and support services for preventive healthcare are required to reduce suffering and promote people’s social and physical ability to function. This is also economically sensible, as it reduces healthcare costs.
The care guarantee must be enforced. The SFP emphasises the importance of including mental health services, such as psychotherapy, in the care guarantee. We want you to get a medical appointment within seven days. In order for health and social services to work in the best possible way, we need private operators and the third sector to complement public services. Service vouchers should be used more comprehensively where appropriate, so that we can shorten waiting times for medical care If a client is referred to the private sector in the wellbeing services county, this must not imply unreasonable costs to the client. Service vouchers are required especially now that queues for non-urgent care have grown long due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Foundations and associations carry out valuable social work around the country through their health-promoting efforts and their senior homes, among other things. Therefore, it is important to secure the operating conditions of the third sector also in the future. Culture and sports are also extremely important for wellbeing and public health.
Digital services should make it easier to access healthcare services. However, they cannot replace human contact. When digital services are developed it is important to take into consideration different users, also those that are not digital natives.
When services are transferred to the new wellbeing services counties, cooperation between the municipalities and wellbeing services counties must work smoothly. Many of the facilities currently used by municipalities will remain in use in the future, and it is important to ensure that they are in good condition and well suited for their purpose. Questions related to public transport will also become increasingly relevant.
Service centres must be accessible by suitable means, and this calls for good cooperation among the authorities responsible for transport.
We want all the wellbeing services counties to follow a responsible economic policy. The SFP does not want the overall tax rate to rise due to the reform. Sustainability must be taken into account in all the operations of the wellbeing services counties, including in procurement. Many local small companies find it difficult to compete in large public procurement projects. In view of sustainability and the environment, and in order to promote locally produced goods and services, we want to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with better opportunities to participate in procurement in order to secure good services to the residents.
The Swedish People’s Party wants to ensure that
- Services are close to you. We want to secure the current health centres, there should be health services that are easy to access in all municipalities.
- Extra investments are made in the recruitment of both Swedish- and Finnish-speaking care personnel.
- Skills in languages other than Swedish and Finnish are also rewarded.
- Adequate language bonuses are used in the wellbeing services counties.
- The rights of the Sámi to care and treatment in their own language are secured.
- Increased investments are made in improved occupational health, wellbeing and job satisfaction, good leadership, equality and competitive wages.
- The wellbeing services counties determine how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the wellbeing of personnel in health and social services and provide support to the personnel.
- The wellbeing services counties draw up an action plan, including a clear schedule, to fix any problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Service vouchers are used more extensively, where appropriate.
- The operating conditions of the third sector are secured.
- Digital services are developed.
- Cooperation between the municipalities and wellbeing services counties works well.
- Small companies, and the third sector, are offered a real opportunity to participate in procurement, for example, through a greater emphasis on partial procurement.
- Equality and non-discrimination are an inherent element of all the operations of the wellbeing services counties.
- The minority language board has a real chance to influence matters.
- The general tax rate is not raised.
The wellbeing services counties will be responsible for primary healthcare, mouth and dental care, specialised healthcare, social welfare, student welfare, services for senior citizens, mental healthcare services, substance abuse services, services for people with disabilities, and rescue services.
Primary healthcare — close to you when you need it
We want to ensure that
- Services are close to you. We want to secure the current health centres, there should be health services that are easy to access in all municipalities.
- Waiting times for medical care are shortened, for example, by increasing the number of doctors and nurses in health centres.
- You get an appointment with a dentist or dental hygienist when you need to.
- Investments are made in mobile solutions, such as health buses and digital services, in order to improve access to care in rural areas and the archipelago.
- The health centres’ resources for addressing mental health issues are strengthened, as challenges to the mental health has become one of the chronic diseases.
- A seven-day care guarantee is introduced and it also covers mental health services.
- A variety of low threshold services, such as chat and on-call phone services, are available.
- Differences in women’s and men’s health are taken into account in healthcare.
- The age limits for free breast cancer screening are changed from the present 50–69 years to 40–74 years.
- Menopause guidance is provided within healthcare.
Specialised healthcare – within a reasonable distance and of the highest quality
We want to ensure that
- Local hospitals play an important role and have special responsibilities in the future, and that their operations are developed, not phased out.
- You have access to diverse polyclinic services nearby.
- The smaller hospitals also have the right to perform regular day surgery operations and provide 24/7 service.
- There are enough ambulances also in rural areas to secure adequate and equal emergency care in every part of the country.
- Kela-reimbursed taxi services work well and are designed to take individual needs into account.
Social welfare – appropriate and timely help
We want to ensure that
- There are more social workers in social services so that anyone in need of help receives it in time.
- There are adequate resources in child welfare by capping the number of clients to 35 per social worker.
- Everyone working in social welfare has safe working conditions.
- Investments are made in preventive care and vulnerable families receive assistance in their daily lives, such as home help for families with children.
- Health and social services personnel are familiar with and have basic knowledge about gender and sexual diversity.
- More places are made available in shelters for people subjected to violence or threat of violence in a relationship, and that low threshold services are offered to victims of violence.
- Investments are made in the integration of immigrants to avoid exclusion and reduce the differences in health and wellbeing.
- The wellbeing services counties support efforts to ensure the equality of immigrants and asylum seekers.
- All wellbeing services counties adopt a culturally sensitive approach.
Children, young people and families – the foundation for wellbeing is laid early
The number of labour wards has decreased drastically, and we now face the risk of families being shunted back and forth if the only nearby labour ward happens to be full. There must be enough places for everyone.
Investing in support for families with children and for parents is one of the most effective ways to provide security for the most vulnerable. Preventive measures address problems before the need arises to take children into custody, for example.
After the coronavirus pandemic, we must now focus on mental health issues, especially among young people. Young people with eating disorders need care services especially tailored for them, in their own mother tongue.
After the establishment of wellbeing services counties, we must ensure good communication between schools and student welfare.
We want to ensure that
- Child health clinic services continue after school begins.
- The number of labour wards is not reduced.
- All women have the right to maternal care and follow-up after giving birth.
- More Swedish-speaking school psychologists and school social workers are educated, and that the education of psychotherapists is made free for the student.
- Binding, national provisions are issued to limit the maximum number of pupils or students to 500 per school social worker or psychologist in student welfare services.
- All pupils and students meet the school social worker at least once a year in the lower grades, once in secondary school and once in upper secondary education, and more frequently if required.
- Student welfare is available at school and is part of the school’s multi-professional work.
- Young people are offered low threshold consultation in places that they visit regularly, without the need to book an appointment.
- Birth control is available free of charge to young people under the age of 25
- Families with the need for extra support should be given this in their homes
Services for senior citizens – security later in life
The increased tax credit for household expenses concerning at-home care is a welcome addition, enabling the flexible use of services.
We want to ensure that
- A personal doctor and personal nurse system is set up for seniors, as the option of seeing a familiar doctor creates a sense of security.
- Early diagnosis of dementia is intensified.
- Preventive, targeted house calls are carried out in all municipalities.
- At-home care is secured so that seniors are provided with high-quality, timely and appropriate services.
- All seniors are offered secure housing if they can no longer live at home.
- Support services are developed for family carers, including the responsibility to offer respite care to offer a break from caregiving duties.
Substance abuse services – effective and timely help
We want to ensure that
- Adequate resources are allocated to mental health care and substance abuse services.
- Swedish-speaking mental healthcare- and substance abuse services are secured.
- More low-threshold consultations are provided and multi-professional cooperation involving the municipalities, schools, care services, homes and the police is expanded.
- Active measures and an overall approach to preventing and reducing substance abuse are adopted.
- Support and consultation are available to the family and friends of substance abusers.
- Care and not punishment shall be the main focus of substance abuse services
- Substance abuse services should always be based on facts and research
Services for people with disabilities – an inclusive society
We want to ensure that
- Swedish-speaking services for people with disabilities are developed on an equal footing, from the very beginning, with Finnish-speaking services.
- Services for people with disabilities are offered to clients in the same way regardless of how administration is organised.
- Adequate sheltered housing is available.
- The operating conditions of sheltered workshops are guaranteed.
- People with disabilities get therapy and rehabilitation based on their own abilities and needs, and in their own language
- Families with children with disabilities get help and suitable services already at an early stage
- Unnecessary bureaucracy should be eliminated. It should be possible for people with disabilities to have continuous support without the need for an annual application-process
- Service-paths in Swedish for people with disabilities should be guaranteed.
Rescue services – a safe society
We want to ensure that
- Rescue services are available in every part of the country.
- The Swedish-speaking education in rescue services is moved from Kuopio to Helsinki in order to secure the availability of Swedish-speaking personnel in rescue services.
- The operating conditions of volunteer fire brigades and the volunteer maritime rescue are strengthened to safeguard equal access to rescue services in all regions.
- Measures are taken to prevent any violent behaviour that personnel in rescue services are subjected to so that the personnel can carry out their work safely.
- Emergency centre operations and the education of operators function in both national languages.
