The government's investment in elderly care may be lost

Elderly care has carried a large load during the pandemic, staff have worked hard and have outstanding holidays to take.

In addition, the pandemic is not over, staff are still needed in the organizations.

- I think that Sweden's municipalities will have a hard time getting rid of the money, I would like to see a more long-term in the financing, says Annika Larsson who is director of care in Helsingborg.

Municipalities want more time

She and her colleague on Gotland, Marica Gardell, have together sent in a letter, which another forty social workers in the country are behind, where they, among other things, demand more time to use the state subsidy.

- It is a fantastic opportunity, but the conditions for using the funds are so very difficult, we are still busy coping with the aftermath of the pandemic, says Marica Gardell, social director for Region Gotland.

In total, the government is investing 3.4 billion in the so-called elderly care increase for 2021.

The background is that you want to raise the quality so that the elderly and relatives can feel safer.

The money will burn until the turn of the year

It is about supervisors, assistant nurses and care assistants being able to further their education during working hours.

But at the turn of the year, the money that has not been used must be repaid.

- Not least the pandemic has shown the need to further train our assistant nurses in elderly care in Helsingborg so that they can better relieve our nurses.

We have received SEK 45 million, that is a lot of money, but I see it as impossible to consume them within the current year, says Annika Larsson.

Why?

- We must have time to make an inventory of who needs to be trained, ensure that the staff has the opportunity to start a training, we must find training substitutes and some training also has an application procedure so we must see that the staff is accepted, says Annika Larsson.

To date, Helsiongborg has begun assistant nurse training for 24 employees, at a cost of 1.6 million, just under four percent of the total state subsidy for 2021.

SVT has sought Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren who does not answer the question of whether it is possible to change the rules so that the money can be used for a longer period.

On the other hand, Lena Hallengren writes in an email that the government perceives that there is broad support for the reform and that it may be possible to invest more money in care for the elderly in 2022 and 2023.