Smarter use of skills

Helsepersonellplan 2040 also facilitates a significantly greater division of responsibilities and tasks.

‘We must allow health personnel to use their skills. This is about motivation and development for employees, but also about ensuring that the available expertise is used to the best effect for patients, users and next of kin. We will therefore, among other things, allow extended referral and requisitioning rights, more health services in pharmacies, and a dedicated tripartite programme on the division of responsibilities and tasks,’ said Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre.

The plan also provides for recruiting personnel without formal qualifications into working life and into the health and care services to carry out tasks that do not require health-related education.

Smarter services

Helsepersonellplan 2040 contains a number of measures to simplify logistics, remove time thieves for health personnel, and develop tools that reduce the need for health services.

The Government wishes to establish a digital first line for a more self-reliant population, which can relieve pressure on the services. It also proposes implementing the digital interaction initiative so that information can be shared across services. This can reduce the time health personnel spend searching for information.

Efficient use of resources and prioritisation

The need for labour can be curbed through more efficient use of resources in the services.

For example, the Government will develop sound decision-support tools for health personnel to reduce overtreatment or unnecessarily personnel-intensive treatment where good alternatives exist.

Reduced need through buildings and targeted location choices

The design and location of premises and buildings can affect self-management, the efficiency of services and the need for personnel. Buildings are therefore a separate priority area in Helsepersonellplan 2040.

In addition, policy instruments are being used to facilitate good housing options, organise home care services more efficiently, and support more forward-looking planning and prevention than is currently the case.

Among other things, the Government will continue the grant scheme for age-friendly adaptation of people’s own homes, review the Housing Bank’s guidelines and guidance on the investment grant, test new forms of housing, and consider measures to increase the number of age-friendly homes.

The way forward for the plan

The measures in the plan are based on input from and dialogue with, among others, employers and employees, as well as next of kin, patients and users.

The plan will be followed up in the hospitals through the annual letters of allocation and appropriations in the national budget.

The Government has announced a larger restructuring grant for municipalities, which municipalities may apply for and which is intended to provide the necessary scope for action to follow up the measures.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health will be given a role in supporting the further development and better coordination of digital tools for competence planning, so that they increasingly support planning and follow-up across service levels.