Being a member of the EU project SmartCare and part of its Users Advisory Board (UAB), the EFN has led today, 18 February, a deployment site visit to Finland South Karelia Health and Social Care District (Eksote). The EFN, together with some UAB members, have visited Eksote, the Health and Social care District that provides health services, family and social welfare services, and services for elderly, in nine municipalities of South Karelia. The services target to promote patients’ wellbeing, health, ability to function, and working capacity with high-quality, cost-efficient and flexible services. The objective of the visit was to evaluate from the users’ points of view the state of implementation of the SmartCare Integrated Care Pathways.
The EFN and the UAB welcomed this deployment site in a region that emphasises the importance of preventive healthcare and aims to empower citizens to take more responsibility for their own health and well-being. The deployment site has integrated primary and secondary healthcare, elderly care and social care in a totally new way, with the objective to ensure equal access to social and healthcare services to all citizens in this region, across the boundaries of municipalities. Yet in an early stage of implementation, this deployment site has set in motion the SmartCare Integrated Care Pathways adequately.
Next to the site visit to Eksote, where they had the opportunity to share experiences with the health professionals involved in this process, the UAB members were also invited to visit older people homes and get the views from the informal caregivers’ perspective, seen as of great added value for the all process understanding.
Overall, this has been a very positive experience, with all stakeholders involved showing a great interest and commitment to SmartCare. The EFN is now looking forward for the next deployment site visits to take place in the coming weeks in Friuli Venezia Giulia – 6 March 2015, and in South Denmark – 5 May 2015.