Sote | The government decided: Part of the caregiving of the elderly can be replaced by technology

Government decided in its budget negotiations that starting next summer, technology can start to be used as part of nurse sizing.

So in the future, some of the caregivers could be replaced with smart technology, such as smart floors and smart wristbands. The government talks about the “human utilization of technology in the calculation of staffing”.

The decision requires new legislation. The government stated that the new one must be valid no later than July next year.

Private Hali ry, which represents care companies, is happy with the decision.

Hali, on the other hand, is against the calculation of the nurse assessment. The board decided that the current nurse assessment of 0.65 will be reduced to 0.6. That means, for example, there must be 6 carers for every 10 elderly people.

In this matter, the employers are therefore on the same lines as the employees, that is, they think the decision is bad.

The idea behind the decision is to bring savings, but Hali’s CEO Sanna Aunesluoma says that’s unlikely to happen. This is due to the fact that, according to the supervisory authorities, the number of social and health professionals, such as nurses, would not be reduced in the dimensioning of 0.6.

Law instead, it allows other, lower-paid employees to work in care homes, for example, housekeepers, care assistants and social workers. This is the case in some nursing homes these days.

When the nurse staffing is calculated, the regional administrative agency’s interpretation is that the reduction of employees must be made from other than nurses.

“It does not bring the expected savings and does not solve the labor shortage. The current dimensioning of 0.65, on the other hand, has made it easier for employees to be available,” says Aunesluoma.

Also the business director of the care company Esperi Care Arne Köhler quoth In an interview with HS in August, that the decrease in nurse staffing will not bring at least the full desired savings, but instead the quality of care will deteriorate.