In the new model being introduced, a working pair consisting of a personal nurse and personal doctor will be responsible for the client’s care. The experiences of staff and clients at Pihlajamäki Health Station will be utilised as the operating model is expanded to the other health stations in Helsinki.
Health stations have assigned personal doctors for a long time. At the moment, slightly over 40% of Helsinki residents who use health station services have a designated personal doctor. In the future, all Helsinki residents will be assigned a personal nurse and a personal doctor, to whom their healthcare matters will be directed as often as possible.
The aim is to maintain the existing long-standing care relationships between patients and their doctors where possible.
Details of your personal nurse and doctor are displayed in Maisa
Clients at health stations will be informed of the change when it is due to be introduced at their particular health station. Once a personal nurse and doctor have been designated for a client, the information is displayed in Maisa. Clients do not need to contact their health station separately in order to be assigned to a personal nurse and doctor.
Prompt access to treatment and the continuity of treatment benefit clients
‘We want to expedite access to treatment for health station clients and strengthen the continuity of treatment,’ says Kaisa Kivistö, Medical Director of Health Stations in Helsinki.
The continuity of treatment means that the client is consistently treated by the same familiar professionals who are already aware of their situation. According to research, the continuity of treatment is linked to a number of health benefits. The model is expected to be of particular benefit to clients who require a high level or long duration of services.
‘When a client’s health matters are managed by a familiar personal nurse and doctor, the treatment is expedited and its quality improved. I believe this will increase the satisfaction and trust of our clients in the health care services they receive,’ Kivistö continues.
According to Kaisa Kivistö, the personal nurse and personal doctor model also supports the way health and well-being centres operate, which ensures that Helsinki residents receive multi-professional support when needed.
The personal nurse and personal doctor model also streamlines the work of healthcare professionals and reduces the cost of treatment.
Some of the personal doctors are self-employed
As part of the reform, a self-employed model pilot is introduced where the personal doctors are self-employed. The first self-employed personal doctors will start working in early 2027. The aim is for Helsinki to have ten self-employed doctors by the end of 2027.
The recruitment of doctors working as self-employed practitioners is currently ongoing. The results of the pilot will be used to develop the personal nurse and personal doctor model. The patients of self-employed doctors remain patients of Helsinki health centres, just as they were before.
Funding for the development of service continuity
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health awarded a government grant for the development of the continuity of treatment and self-employed model pilots in all wellbeing services counties in June. Helsinki received a government grant of 4.3 million euros to improve the continuity of treatment.