Private social and healthcare services are complementary to public services. Private service providers such as companies, organisations and foundations may sell their services to municipalities, joint municipal authorities or directly to clients. The role of companies and organisations in the provision of social and healthcare services has been growing throughout the 2000s. As of today, private providers offer more than 25% of all social and healthcare services. The Government’s social and healthcare strategy and the Government programme state that private social and healthcare services are complementary to municipal services and offer alternatives legislation on private social and healthcare services will be harmonised and clarified supervision of the public and private sectors will be harmonised In the future, the need for social and healthcare services will increase in tandem with the growing elderly population. To be able to respond to this need, private services are indispensable. Most common private social services sheltered housing for the elderly home help services for the elderly and disabled institutional and foster care for children and young people child day-care Most common private healthcare services physiotherapy medical and dental surgeries occupational healthcare In 2016, there were close to 19,000 private firms operating in the social and healthcare sector, of which 30 are deemed to be large companies. Of the total, about 17,700 are microbusinesses, 800 small and 120 medium-sized. Additionally, a further one thousand companies operate in the sports and physical exercise sector. The social and healthcare companies employ up to 67,500 people and generate an annual turnover of EUR 6059 million. Consequently, we are talking about a major industry and employer. According to Statistics Finland (2016), there are 900 jobs in North Savo in the ‘Human health and social work activities’ category Q, as defined in the NACE classification. In reality, the actual number is higher because all social and healthcare companies are not classified in this NACE category.

The psychiatric outpatient clinic

An invitation letter from Varkaus outpatient clinic indicates the date and time of the hospital visit and provides other potential special instructions to enable the patient to prepare for the appointment. Instructions on how to register at the outpatient clinic are also provided. Your personal details and payment information will be checked at the outpatient clinic when you register. If you use automatic registration, your personal details will not be checked at that point. If you wish to have your details checked, contact the patient office for instructions. Please reserve enough time for your appointment at the outpatient clinic. Every effort will be made to keep the time of the appointment indicated in your invitation. You will be informed by the staff of any changes. A bill for the appointment will be sent to your home address.

Access to medical care is regulated by the Health Care Act : Specialised medical care is only provided by a referral, except in urgent cases. The assessment of the need for care must start within three weeks of the referral receipt date. Any tests and specialist evaluations must be carried out within three months of the referral receipt date. If the examinations indicate that the patient needs hospital care, it must be provided within the following six months. In case of mental health services for children and adolescents under 23, tests and specialist evaluations must be carried out within six weeks of the referral receipt. Care and treatment must be provided within three months of the date when the need for treatment was determined. If the hospital is unable to provide the necessary care for the patient within the specified period of time, it must arrange for the patient to be treated in another hospital district or the private sector. No extra costs will be incurred by the patient as a result of this.

HOME SERVICES HELP PEOPLE COPE AT HOME Home help and home nursing services assist people in daily chores that they are unable to perform independently. Please contact the service advice centre for an assessment of service needs. Before the decision is made to provide home help services, the Pasuuna service advice centre makes an multiprofessional assessment of each individual case. Home care clients need regular services on a daily basis. If the need for assistance is minor, clients are usually referred to private service providers.

Each Varkaus resident is designated a healthcare team determined according to their home address. The health centre offers self-care instructions and, if necessary, we make an appointment for you with a nurse or doctor. Many of the regular follow-up appointments can be handled by nurses. Nurses and doctors see patients on the 4th and 5th floors of the health centre. To make an appointment with a nurse or doctor, call the health centre call-back service that will give you instructions. We will call you back twice if you fail to take the first call. From Monday to Thursday after 15.00 and Friday after 13.00, we will return your call only once. Tel. +358 17 5796000. Mon–Thu 08.15–15.00 Fridays and bank holiday eves 08.15 - 13.00 To cancel an appointment, call the same number at any time.

The child welfare clinic provides services for preschool-aged children and their families. Varkaus Child Welfare Clinic, Savontie 55, 78300 VARKAUS Kangaslampi Child welfare Clinic: Rauhantie 4, 79480 KANGASLAMPI Child welfare clinics seek to promote the health and well-being of children and their families. The clinics monitor children’s physical, psychological and social growth and development. Parents are provided support with upbringing and managing the marital relationship. During the child’s first year, there are typically 9 to 12 appointments depending on individual needs. After that, the public health nurse will see the child and his/her family members when the child turns 18 months and at the age of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. When extensive health checks are carried out, a nurse and a doctor make an assessment of the child’s development, state of health and well-being, and evaluate the family situation and any need for parenting support. When the assessment is made, the parents’ views of the child’s health and development are taken into consideration and, subject to parental approval, the feedback received from early childhood education is used to evaluate how the child is coping in day-care.