Sufficiency and availability of healthcare and social welfare personnel

In accordance with Prime Minister Orpo's Government Programme, the Government wants to solve the shortage of healthcare and social welfare personnel threatening the availability of services of the welfare society. Both short-term and long-term measures are needed for solving this issue.

The most effective measures are linked to improving the functioning of the healthcare and social welfare service system by staggering the services and by responding appropriately to the personnel needs related to the services. At the same time, prevention, digital services, service coordination and possibilities for self-management of health will be strengthened.

The Government will encourage the wellbeing services counties to increase the attractiveness of the healthcare and social welfare sector through management practices that take account of the personnel’s needs and engage the personnel and by improving the division of tasks and increasing flexibility.

In 2023 the Government will launch a Good Work Programme to ensure the sufficiency and availability of personnel in healthcare, social welfare and rescue services.

The Programme will complement and expand the work done during the previous parliamentary term concerning the sufficiency and availability of healthcare and social welfare personnel, and it will include measures proposed in the Strategic Roadmap for 2022–2027.

This page will be updated as the implementation of the Government Programme is specified.

Programme on the sufficiency and availability of healthcare and social welfare personnel 2021–2023

The Ministerial Working Group on Health and Social Services led by the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services served as the steering group for the programme on the sufficiency and availability of healthcare and social welfare personnel, and it also selected the programme priorities. The programme was completed in spring 2023.

An intersectoral working group was appointed in 2021 for the programme work. The group consisted of representatives from ministries and key labour market organisations.

The working group’s term of office ran from 18 November 2021 to 31 March 2023.

To support the working group, seven sub-groups were also appointed to address the availability and sufficiency of personnel from different perspectives.