The Social Services, Health Care, and Rescue Services Division’s preparations for incidents and emergencies are mainly appropriate, but based on the findings, development work should continue in the future.

The city’s substance abuse services have facilitated access to treatment for people with drug dependencies through many reforms that have improved access to opioid substitution and detoxification treatment. The impact of the reforms on access to other substance abuse services could not be assessed because the reforms have only been in place for a very brief period and comparable statistical data were not available. Services for people suffering from drug dependence can also reduce the harm caused by drug use and improve the amenity and safety of the surrounding area, but facilities are lacking.

The city’s national advocacy has developed with the mayor model over the last two strategic periods.

Action has been taken on 94% of the recommendations from the 2021 assessment report.

The City Strategy states that families will be supported in a multidisciplinary way, with resources directed towards early and wide-ranging support. Access to social guidance for families with children has been improved and the service has been expanded and developed. However, the waiting time for the service has increased, and the availability of skilled personnel has decreased.

Maternity and child health services aim to meet the individual needs of families. However, families do not always receive specialised support quickly enough, and there is room for improvement in the continuity of care.

Senior centres have made efforts to improve employee well-being, retention and attraction, but the indicators show that there is still room for improvement in future.

Temporary care for people under 65 during informal care leave does not always meet the needs of different client groups. There are not enough temporary care placements for all client groups.

51 per cent of the binding operation objectives were achieved. The prolongation of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the achievement of the objectives of the Education Division and the Social Services and Health Care Division in particular.

The number of employees in the services of open child welfare is at its statutory level, but due to the increased challenges families face, all needs cannot always be addressed. Furthermore, child welfare has open vacancies for social workers, but the vacancies remain uncovered.

Efforts have been made to develop home care in the last few years, but most of the objectives have not been achieved. Home care’s most prominent issue is the shortage of personnel. Linguistic equality is not realised due to the lack of Swedish-speaking nursing personnel.

The city has strived to promote mental health rehabilitees’ access to housing services by turning the Aurora Hospital’s wards of rehabilitative psychiatry into housing units and by increasing the service selection of housing services in the competitive tendering of purchased services. However, the number of people on the waiting list for housing services has not decreased.

Home care and service housing have introduced a guidebook for emergency situations and the mobile nurse service, but they are not utilised to their full potential. Closer cooperation should be established when discharging patients from hospital.

Child Welfare is having challenges in meeting the increased need for foster care with family care and special and demanding institutional care.

The Social Services and Health Care Division has developed the treatment of people with substance abuse problems and harm reduction services and lowered the threshold for access to services. Cooperation with other operators, particularly child welfare services, needs to be developed.

The quality control of the 24-hour care of the elderly can be considered to be satisfactory in the City’s own service provision and sufficient in purchased services.

The family centre model has increased cooperation between different professionals according to the objectives. Family centre work is just beginning in several areas of Helsinki, and there are still needs for development.