Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons
Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons advise and assist patients or social welfare clients in situations where they are dissatisfied with the healthcare or social welfare service they have received or where they feel that they have been mistreated within the service.
Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons also provide information on the rights of patients and social welfare clients. The services of patient ombudspersons or social services ombudspersons are free of charge.
Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons must act in an independent and impartial manner when performing their duties.
Patients or social welfare clients can contact a patient ombudsperson or social services ombudsperson when using health and social services organised by the wellbeing services counties or the City of Helsinki. HUS Group has its own patient ombudsperson.
Patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons also assist in matters concerning early childhood education and care services, private health and social services and occupational healthcare, for example. The same applies to the healthcare and medical care services provided by the state mental hospitals, the Defence Forces and the Health Care Services for Prisoners.
Contact details for patient ombudspersons and social services ombudspersons are available from the wellbeing services counties and those service providers whose activities the matter concerns.
Duties of patient ombudspersons in healthcare
Patient ombudspersons promote the rights of patients and
- provide advice on the statutory rights of healthcare patients
- advise and, if necessary, help patients to draw up an objection
- advise how matters related to the legal protection of patients in healthcare, such as an appeal or a complaint, can be instituted in a competent authority
- issue information about patient rights
- monitor the developments of the rights and status of patients.
Duties of social services ombudspersons in social welfare
Social services ombudspersons promote the rights of social welfare clients and
- provide advice on the statutory rights of social welfare clients
- advise and, if necessary, help clients to draw up an objection
- advise how matters related to the legal protection of social welfare clients or clients in early childhood education and care, such as an appeal or a complaint, can be instituted in a competent authority
- issue information about client rights
- monitor the development of the rights and status of clients.