– I believe that many who work in the health sector feel that they have an important and meaningful job, but that the working conditions mean that they cannot do it. DIt’s probably frustrating. It says Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap).

In Norway today there are more than a million retirees.

In 17 years, we will need 90,000 new employees in the health and municipal care sector, according to figures from Statistics Norway.

– These are challenges that show that we need to have a real priority debate, says Kjerkol.

The debate over elderly care in Norway is back in the spotlight after the landmark documentary “Care Behind Closed Doors”.

Here they discover, among other things, reprehensible conditions in the home service.

Plan your own old age

Last year, the government established a Health Personnel Commission. The commission will examine, among other things, how to retain and recruit qualified health personnel, now and in the future. The report will be presented on February 2.

– We need to bring more innovation, more technology, hire more people, but above all we need to be able to keep the ones we have, says Kjerkol.

The government will also introduce a “stay safe at home” reform. The aim of the reform is to make it easier for older people to live in their own homes for as long as they can and wish.

– Each of us must do more to plan for our old age, says Kjerkol.

– Dthe standard of living we had when we were younger may not be what helps us when our health deteriorates and we need help, says the Minister of Health.

The Association of Retirees: – Older people have taken responsibilities all their lives

– Older people have taken on responsibilities all their lives, and they do so as they get older, explains Jan Davidsen, president of the retirees’ association.

– We must not forget that 85 percent of elderly people are ultimately capable of fending for themselves, he adds.

When asked if the retirees’ association is concerned about capacity issues in the healthcare sector, Davidsen says these are unfortunately known issues.

– We sincerely hope to find a solution to this problem before we run out of 90,000 employees.

Norway’s sickest workers

The sickest Norwegian workers are the ones we will need most in the future. Home care is the workplace in Norway that tops the statistics for the longest sick leave.

Musculoskeletal problems, sleep difficulties and psychological problems are the most common reasons for sick leave in this group.

According to surveys, the reason is that there are too few people experiencing too many burdens.

Håkon Johannessen of the Norwegian Work Environment Institute says role conflicts are the main reason for the high number of sickness absences.

– You have professional ethics, you have an opinion on what good care is and what good treatment is for this user. Then you don’t have time to spare because you have to see so many patients.

– If the emotional demands are high enough and the role conflict clear enough, then the most robust people will develop illnesses, explains Johannessen.

Several thousand have already left the profession

Lill Sverresdatter Larsen of the Norwegian Nurses Association says one of the main challenges now is recruiting the thousands who have left the nursing profession.

– We have to recruit them again, and salaries are an important part of that, says Sverresdatter Larsen.

She emphasizes that support from management is an important factor.

– So that you have the opportunity to lead, guide, inspire and not just manage.

Today, an elderly care manager can have up to 93 employees under his or her command. So it’s impossible.

– This means that employees feel little seen, explains Sverresdatter Larsen.

Unacceptable

– There is no doubt that the home service works very hard. This means more money for municipalities, more employees, skills development and full-fledged permanent positions. This is what Iren Luther, head of the occupational health and social protection section of the Confederation of Trade Unions, says.

– Many of our members in the nursing and care sector start their professional career with a 20 percent position. It is unacceptable. A full-fledged position from day one gives you more time to provide the best care possible and more time to develop your professional skills, says Luther.

Municipalities are being entrusted with more and more tasks

The regional director of the interest and employer organization in the municipal sector (KS), Helge Eide, spoke last week about an increasingly tense situation in the municipal health service.

– We know that over time, municipalities have experienced a sharp increase in health and care service tasks. There are more sick people, both elderly and young people. There are huge challenges to attracting enough people to services, says Eide.

Professor of Geriatrics and Chief Physician at Oslo University Hospital, Torgeir Bruun Wyller, says lower hospital capacity leads to increased pressure on municipal health services.

– The State must take its share of responsibility by not always entrusting more tasks to municipalities –

– Many problems are related to patients who find themselves “on the border” between state and municipal responsibilities. This limit is constantly being pushed back as hospitals have fewer beds, explains Bruun Wyller.

Astrid Ouahyb Sundsbø, a researcher at the University of Western Norway, describes the same development:

– It is true that for a long period, the State carried out reforms and implemented programs that gave the municipality greater responsibility towards elderly and sick users, she said.

– Hospital stays are shorter, but that doesn’t mean people are healthier. Hospitals refer patients against the municipality that takes care of them, she adds.