This publication is an inspiration to generate insight about how system structures can be organized to secure new integrated healthcare and social care service models. In the digital shift of healthcare and social care, model areas with their solutions can serve as inspiration for further joint development between for example local and regional authorities within healthcare and care in the Nordics.
As integrated healthcare and care requires cross organizational and sectorial focus and an innovative user perspective design approach, the people benefitting of reading this publication would be the whole spectrum from politicians, healthcare and social care specialists and workers, private industries and not at least the citizens themselves. The citizens will be the drivers behind the future use of trend technologies in healthcare and social care, as it will be the citizen that will decide when to see their physicians.
As healthcare and social care will become more accessible when services move into people’s own homes there is a demand for new service designs and new service models to support this transformation. Distance spanning solutions in social care will increase the quality of services and the service levels. Furthermore, digitalization erases administrative boarders and improves service provisions by bundling healthcare services with social care services.
The development of new service models will help tackle the demographic challenges of an ageing population, where there is not sufficient manpower to continue with the current service models. Integrated healthcare and social care services will mitigate the challenges of an ageing population, especially in rural areas with lack of manpower and secures more wellbeing for less or at least the same amount of money. The project Integrated Healthcare and Care – Through distance spanning solutions (iHAC) is working to make healthcare and social care more accessible to citizen through digital distance spanning solutions and service integration.
The first part of the publication covers an introduction to a theoretical framework presented by the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research. The focus is on governance and the three important components that must be in place to make cooperation successful; communication and knowledge sharing; common goals; trust between actors.
Five regional models
This report also presents five regional models of collaboration within the healthcare and care sector in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. What all these model regions have in common is collaboration across healthcare sectors and institutions.
The five descriptions include service models showing how to build, and work integrated in health and care with the support or digital services and distance spanning solutions. The descriptions can serve as an inspiration to develop system structures which can secure integrated health and social care services.