After our report on Thursday that Region Värmland is satisfied after the takeover of 1177, we have received reactions. Both from your viewers who think that the queues are on the run too long and from MedHelp, who were previously the ones who provided the service.

Long queues

Björn Arkinger, business area manager for healthcare services at MedHelp, has looked more closely at statistics from Inera, saying that only 73 percent of incoming calls were answered in November this year, compared with 92 percent the same month last year. The queue time was, according to the same statistics, 20.51 minutes in November this year compared to 2.52 minutes last year.

- The availability of this service is very important. It is classified as a socially important service and it is then that you can respond quickly when the inhabitants try to reach one.

But Christer Lagerberg, who is acting chief operating officer for ambulance care, which includes 1177 medical advice, says that the assignment is no longer the same as before.

- We are aware that we have longer queuing times, but now we have another care assignment where we coordinate the care of the patient by using the same medical record system as the other health care in the region. We help the patient and book times at the health center so the time that increases on the telephone is time where as a patient you do not have to be referred elsewhere and make new calls and end up in other telephone queues. We do not want to have to make new calls but get all the help via 1177 now.

More expensive costs

Björn Arkinger also says that as many as one in four patients do not arrive until 1177, they seek care in other ways instead.

- And if you do not get help over the phone, maybe you go to the emergency room, which means a significantly higher cost of care for the region.

- We see that, of our answered calls, the patient group referred to the emergency has become five percent fewer. The number of visits to the emergency rooms in November 2019 was the lowest number of visits compared to the previous 36 months. It is too early to make concrete conclusions, but this is a positive trend, says Christer Lagerberg.

MedHelp also points out that the cost of handling the service under the auspices of the Region is higher after the takeover: SEK 18.5 million compared to 14 million last year.

- We have start-up costs now, new premises, new technology and training costs - so we have an increased cost, but we get it home in other health care, for example on a reduced number of visits to the emergency room, says Christer Lagerberg.