Staff in care and social care are under more pressure than usual and in many places it has been more difficult than usual to get staffing together this summer, unions and staff are alarmed.

"The summer has been worse than in previous years and the members more despairing and dissatisfied with the staffing situation," says Jani Stjernström, vice president of the Healthcare Association, in a written comment.

Difficult to keep care places open

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Hear Caroline Lundqvist, chief protection officer for Vårdförbundet in Västerbotten, about the situation at Skellefteå hospital: "It's a concern not knowing how different passports are to be resolved".

Photo: SVT

Jämtland, Härjedalen and Västerbotten are two regions where the staff has been hard pressed.

At the Skellefteå hospital, employees have worked almost 600 extra shifts until August, according to the Vårdförbundet.

- The hospital has had difficulty keeping care places open, which our members have had to solve through a lot of extra passes, says Caroline Lundqvist, local chief protection representative for the Vårdförbundet, to SVT Nyheter Västerbotten.

Camilla Andersson, area manager for community care in Skellefteå, tells SVT Nyheter Västerbotten that the summer has been strained in terms of staffing, but that patients should not have noticed any difference compared to previous summers.

In Östersund, the staff situation in special accommodation, home care and LSS accommodation is very strained.

- It is so bad that we cannot enforce all decisions, says Robert Brandt, head of the municipality's health and care administration, to SVT Nyheter Jämtland.

Called in from vacation

According to the Vårdförbundet, many members have been forced to interrupt their vacation to cover vacant shifts.

The summer has also meant longer shifts and calls from employers who ordered staff to break their vacation. 

"Now employers really need to take responsibility and improve conditions so that they can recruit and retain competent staff," says Jani Stjernström. 

According to the organization Sweden's Municipalities and Regions, the pandemic is one of the explanations for the staffing situation, but a general staff shortage is pointed out as the biggest problem. 

- This means that you have to think about more long-term strategies in order for us to avoid ending up in this situation, said Jeanette Hedberg, head of negotiations at SKR, to SVT in June.

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The proposals that can reduce the staff shortage this summer - hear Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö, chairwoman of the National Nursing Skills Council, in the clip.

Photo: SVT