The summer healthcare situation in metropolitan regions has so far been manageable, according to healthcare providers. Despite fewer hospital beds, patients are receiving the help they need. However, some weeks are tougher than others, and the situation can quickly change.
In Region Stockholm's latest summer report on the healthcare situation, Chief Physician Elda Sparrelid describes the situation as "manageable". She means that the demand for healthcare varies depending on location, day, and time. At certain times, patients have had to wait longer for assessment and hospital beds.
When we say it's manageable, we mean that it's happening without any major risks to the patient. You can prioritize based on need and still manage the patient, says she.
Fewer Overcrowdings
There have also been fewer overcrowdings this summer, and more hospital beds than last year, despite the fact that the number of available hospital beds is always reduced during this time, according to Elda Sparrelid.
A similar situation is described by Chief Physician Jacob Wulfsberg in the Västra Götaland Region (VGR).
It's a strained situation, but I still think it's manageable. It's at the same level as last summer, overall. Now I'm speaking for VGR as a whole, and it's a large region, so it looks different between different administrations, says he.
You always prioritize the most severely ill. Sometimes people have to wait a little longer than usual, both when it comes to emergency care and primary care, says Wulfsberg.
But you get help. It's based on the fact that employees are making fantastic efforts, and staff are working hard to make it work.
Tough Situation
In Region Västernorrland, they feared a crisis-like summer, but so far, the situation has been controlled, according to Roger Westerlund, Area Director within the Healthcare and Medical Care Administration.
We've done intensive work before and during the summer to be able to keep as many hospital beds open as possible, says he and continues:
Overall, the summer has been manageable, and by that, I mean that we've had overcrowdings, sometimes at the entire hospital and sometimes at certain departments where certain units have had to work very hard.
He says further that it's a tough situation, but patient safety has not been threatened so far.
In Region Skåne, the summer is always described as a challenge, as they strive to give staff consecutive holidays. Even there, the number of hospital beds is reduced, but currently, the region is not experiencing any overall shortage – instead, the hospital bed situation becomes strained temporarily when the load is high.
