Sote | Länsi-Uusimaa announced a proposal for next year's economy: Willing to save on everything

Länsi-Uusimaa’s new budget proposal contains savings for almost everything, even investments the size of a fire truck are on hold.

Western Uusimaa plans to pinch everything next year.

The budget proposal announced on Friday has been calculated as barely surplus, savings of 54 million are sought. That’s why the area started already yt negotiationswhich will reduce around 80 jobs.

Most of the staff are fired from administration, not directly from working directly with patients or customers.

Instead, service vouchers and other purchase services are abandoned in many services. It makes it difficult to access treatment in places where there is a shortage of personnel.

At the same time, for example, small counseling centers will be closed, day care for the elderly will begin to be run as a digital service only, and veterans’ support will be affected.

Investments are fun.

The political groups negotiate the motion, and the regional council ultimately decides on it.

Overview

Next operating expenses for the year are to be 1.93 billion and operating margin 1.76 billion euros. The result of Länsi-Uusimaa is wanted to be barely positive, i.e. 470,000 euros.

According to summer’s estimate, there will still be a deficit of 86 million euros this year.

The state that finances the services demands that all welfare areas balance their budgets by the end of 2026. Länsi-Uusimaa’s way of obeying is the opposite of next year’s one hundred million minus Vantaa and Kerava.

Länsi-Uusimaa already started a development program, which should improve services in the future. This does not save enough, so now expenses are cut by 2.8 percent.

Welfare area director Sanna Svahn says that the savings are planned so that they would hinder operations as little as possible.

“The effects must be assessed accurately. If this affects, for example, patient or customer safety, the situation must be addressed.”

A more detailed plan for the service network, i.e. for example the closure of health centers, will only be made next year.

Thanks to the savings program and the correction of funding promised by the state for 2025, Länsi-Uusimaa calculates that it will do better from next year onwards.

Investments

Investments are only 26 million euros in 2024.

Large construction projects have been postponed to the future, only necessary repairs will be made.

The biggest investment is information systemwhich is acquired to replace numerous overlapping patient information systems of different municipalities.

Equipment and supplies are saved. For example, there is practically a one-year break in the procurement of equipment for rescue operations, unless it is absolutely necessary to replace the old one.

Indebtedness is estimated to increase by 20 million in 2024. Even if it is built again in 2025, it is calculated that at that time the debts will decrease more than they will increase next year.

Services for the elderly and disabled

Western Uusimaa completely stop face-to-face day activities for the elderly and rehabilitative day activities. These are only offered on digital devices.

Remote home care and the use of medicine vending machines will be increased. The home hospital and the mobile hospital are expanding.

Customer fees and housing unit rents will be increased.

Services and benefits that are not regulated by law will be eliminated. For example, veterans’ discretionary benefits and caregiver support and days off are being cut.

Institutions for the elderly are being transformed into round-the-clock service housing, from service housing into lighter organized community housing. Less ward care is purchased from Kauniala Hospital.

Hospitals for the elderly will no longer hire nursing staff from anyone other than Seure. The aim is to conclude long-term contracts with temporary doctors, because they are cheaper than hourly prices.

More low-paid care assistants are hired in nursing homes. Foreign labor is being hired faster than planned.

Catering services will be tendered again. In home care, purchasing service contracts are made more quickly, because it costs less than hiring the even more expensive workforce.

The day and work activities of the disabled are closed in the summer. More transports are combined.

Shared social and health services

Next In 2018, no money will be reserved for health center service vouchers and rehabilitation purchase services. Few people can go to the dentist with a service voucher.

Hired labor is being reduced as much as possible everywhere.

Social services for adults eliminate everything that is not required by law. Physiotherapy focuses on the severely disabled and the elderly, whose ability to cope at home is affected by it.

Our own staff will be reduced the most from the administration. The pressures of those working with patients and clients are still increasing because they are not being hired, even though the need for services is increasing and the treatment guarantee is getting tighter.

Länsi-Uusimaa still wants treatment to be available quickly and to familiar professionals in the future.

In the budget presentation, it is stated that this money will not be able to fix the situation next year where there are already deficiencies in services.

Overlapping data systems are being cleaned. For example, self-registration machines at health centers will be removed.

Children and young people

Chop counseling centers have been abolished. These have not yet been named, but the matter is being clarified.

In the case of children and young people, the goal is to strengthen prevention and basic services, so that in the future there will be less need for, say, expensive foster care. For example, mental health services are promised to be clarified.

It is said in the presentation that with such little money it is difficult to meet the needs of families or to reach the customer measurements required by law.

Read more: The welfare region of Länsi-Uusimaa is planning major cooperation negotiations