Preparedness in Wellbeing Services Counties

The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services concerning preparedness, readiness and incident management in both normal and emergency conditions. The proposed amendments to the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services would make it possible to prepare for incidents affecting more than just a single wellbeing services county or for incidents on a national scale. 

Frequently asked questions 

This page contains frequently asked questions about preparedness, readiness and the management of incidents under normal conditions and of emergencies in the healthcare and social welfare sector. In particular, the page seeks to answer questions that arose when drafting the government proposal.    

What kinds of incidents threaten healthcare and social welfare?

The healthcare and social welfare sector plays an active role in respect of all nationally identified risks, because they affect without exception the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s administrative branch and its clients. Such risks include: 

• various pandemics and other disruptions in health security, 
• use of military force,
• terrorist and other violent attacks,
• cyber attacks,
• power supply disruptions,
• mass influx of migrants,
• CBRN threats (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats).

Does the guidance and management system described in the legislative proposal extend to incidents under normal conditions as well as to emergency conditions?

Yes, it does. Based on the experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that the management arrangements needed in emergency conditions are based on operating procedures under normal conditions. The duties and role of the national preparedness group referred to in the legislative proposal depend on the nature and extent of the incident or emergency conditions. 

Which body is responsible for supervising preparedness, readiness and the management of incidents under normal conditions in the healthcare and social welfare sector?

The preparedness and readiness of the healthcare and social welfare sector are supervised by the Regional State Administrative Agencies in their respective wellbeing services counties. The Government Programme recognises that regional preparedness and readiness and related supervision should be developed more strongly through cooperation between the wellbeing services counties, municipalities and other operators.

Why will the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services be amended?

The legislative proposal will implement the Government Programme entries on the preparedness and readiness of wellbeing services counties, with a view to improving the ability to manage regional or national incidents. The proposal was prompted by the experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also necessary to have clear management responsibilities to prevent and manage threats caused by changes in the international security environment. 

What matters will the legislative proposal affect?

The legislative proposal concerns the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services. The aim is to prepare even better for large-scale incidents and emergencies. The amendments concern situations where the resources of an individual wellbeing services county are not sufficient to safeguard the security, health and wellbeing of the population.

How will the guidance responsibilities for and management of incidents and emergencies change? 

The proposal aims to clarify national-level decision-making and management during incidents and emergencies in healthcare and social welfare. A national preparedness group would be established to prepare decisions. The aim is to ensure that the necessary decisions are prepared through close cooperation between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the wellbeing services counties.
Each wellbeing services county belongs to one of the five collaborative areas for healthcare and social welfare. By strengthening the role of the five collaborative areas and the City of Helsinki in preparedness and readiness duties, it will be possible to allocate necessary support through cooperation between several wellbeing services counties.  

How will the new national preparedness group be formed?

The national preparedness group for healthcare and social welfare would have two representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; one representative from the Ministry of Finance; one representative from the City of Helsinki, HUS group and each wellbeing services county with a university hospital; and one representative from a wellbeing services county that does not operate a university hospital. The preparedness group will cooperate with the competent authorities involved in dealing with incidents. The group may invite permanent or temporary experts to join it and consult other actors and experts involved in dealing with incidents.

How is the situation picture maintained to support preparedness and readiness?

There are five collaborative areas for healthcare and social welfare in Finland that collect and analyse information on incidents and threats of incidents affecting health and social services. In addition, the centres for preparedness in healthcare and social welfare  support all wellbeing services counties within a collaborative area in preparedness and contingency planning. As a result of the proposal, the preparedness centres would participate more closely in the counties’ contingency planning. The amendments aim to make the preparedness of wellbeing services counties even more uniform.

How has the consistency of the contents of cooperation agreements been ensured in the current legislation with regard to duties related to preparedness and readiness in healthcare and social welfare? 

Under the current Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services, a cooperation agreement is prepared jointly with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in respect of preparedness and readiness duties. The legislative proposal aims to coordinate and develop cooperation agreements by laying down provisions on duties supporting this at the collaborative area level and the national level. 

Why does the legislative proposal give responsibilities to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health regarding preparedness, readiness and the management of incidents and emergencies at the national level? 

According to the current Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare Services and the Rules of Procedure of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (519/2017), the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health already has significant responsibilities regarding preparedness, readiness, incidents under normal conditions and emergencies in healthcare and social welfare organised by the wellbeing services counties. The legislative proposal does not aim to change or significantly expand the Ministry’s current responsibilities. Instead, the proposal seeks to clarify the Ministry’s responsibilities and make them part of a clear and compatible management system for healthcare and social welfare.

To what international obligations does the guidance and management arrangement described in the proposal respond?

Finland is committed to complying with numerous international treaties and international legislation that ensure the uniform minimum rules of different states concerning procedures and requirements. The arrangements described in the legislative proposal are necessary so that, for example, the Defence Forces can also rely on the healthcare and social welfare service system in an international crisis situation. The amendments to the Act on Organising Healthcare and Social Welfare described in the proposal would support Finland’s obligations as a member of NATO.

How can we ensure sufficiently consistent contingency plans for healthcare and social welfare while taking account of regional characteristics?

According to the current legislation, the preparedness centres support the collaborative areas in preparedness and contingency planning. The legislative proposal strengthens the role of preparedness centres in guiding contingency planning in line with the principles agreed at the level of collaborative areas. The proposal also includes duties at both the collaborative area and national levels to support the wellbeing services counties in contingency planning that is more extensive and of higher quality. 

How can I get more information on this theme?

For more information on the legislative proposal, please contact Senior Ministerial Adviser Erkki Papunen (tel. +358 295 163 298, [email protected]) or Director for Preparedness Pekka Tulokas (tel. +358 295 163 202, [email protected]).