In the GOLTC Long-Term Care system profile for Finland, Leena Forma (Laurea University of Applied Sciences and Tampere University) and Emilia Leinonen (University of Jyväskylä) describe the Finnish universal public Long-Term Care system.

Highlights from the Finland’s System Profile:

In 2023 there was a major change in governance, transferring responsibility for organising care from over 300 municipalities to 21 wellbeing services counties and the city of Helsinki, with health and social services integrated at legislative and organisational level.

The Finnish system puts the emphasis on domiciliary care, particularly home care, with day care as well as a new adult foster care model similar to the UK’s Shared Lives Scheme. The coverage of home care, however, is decreasing , and relatively high co-payments make services unaffordable so people are using less than they need. Residential care is mainly provided in sheltered housing with 24-hour assistance. A new model of communal housing for people with lower care needs is being developed, this will include services to promote social interaction.

The Finnish LTC workforce is highly qualified, but as in many other countries there is a shortage of care workers. This has delayed, for example, the implementation of higher staff/ratios. New measures are being introduced to mitigate this, such as extending the work careers of nurses approaching retirement and recruiting from other countries, however there is recognition that relying on foreign workers is not a quick fix due to the language and skill requirements.

Click here to read the new LTC system profile for Finland

Click here to see the other system profiles.