The growing demand for psychiatric care has become increasingly evident, particularly in child and adolescent psychiatry, where the need has increased significantly in recent years. Although the number of psychiatric interventions is increasing in several parts of the country, capacity has not increased at the rate needed to meet patients' needs. Access to first visits, assessments and treatments has in many cases deteriorated and is not meeting targets. For example, in some regions, fewer than 10% of first visits in child and adolescent psychiatry are carried out within the reinforced 30-day care guarantee.
In recent months, Sirona has been commissioned by several regions to carry out audits of accessibility in psychiatry.
- What we have seen in the audits is that accessibility varies widely, both between and within regions. Many patients end up in queues and do not receive care within the time they are entitled to. The situation is strained, especially within the BUP, with increased inflows, especially of patients with suspected neuropsychiatric problems of varying degrees. These risk creating serious displacement effects for other diagnostic groups. We have also seen that in several cases there is a lack of systematic knowledge about whether and how the patient improves in mood, functional ability and quality of life during the care contact," says Shadi Abbas, Managing Director at Sirona.
Sirona's team of senior analysts and medical experts has extensive and broad experience of audits and reviews, using a tried and tested methodology including quantitative analysis, surveys and interviews. Clients include regions and authorities.
- Sirona's reviews are not only about mapping to see if the regions, in this case, offer good accessibility. We also make recommendations on how to improve productivity, for example, while ensuring that quality is maintained or improved.
In addition to audits, Sirona has extensive experience in providing management support and assisting in change work in psychiatry, both for private and public actors. This can involve conducting process mapping, analyzing bottlenecks or developing and supporting the implementation of a strategic plan for psychiatry.
- We see that there are several feasible measures to improve psychiatric care in Sweden. It should not matter where you live or what problems you have, psychiatric care should be equal and all patients should receive quality care in time.
