In-Depth Accessibility Study
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IN-DEPTH ACCESSIBILITY STUDY Annex to Digital Health Care and Social Care – Regional development impacts in the Nordic countries NORDREGIO REPORT 2020:16 1 IN-DEPTH ACCESSIBILITY STUDY Annex to Digital Health Care and Social Care – Regional development impacts in the Nordic countries Oskar Penje, Shinan Wang, Teodor Wolk NORDREGIO REPORT 2020:16 In-depth accessibility study Annex to Digital Health Care and Social care – Regional development impacts in the Nordic countries Nordregio Report 2020:16 ISBN 978-91-8001-004-7 ISSN 1403-2503 DOI: : doi.org/10.6027/R2020:16.1403-2503 © Nordregio 2020 Nordregio P.O. Box 1658 SE-111 86 Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] www.nordregio.org www.norden.org Authors: Oskar Penje, Shinan Wang, Teodor Wolk Nordregio is a leading Nordic and European research centre for regional development and planning, established by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1997. We conduct solution-oriented and applied research, addressing current issues from both a research perspective and the viewpoint of policymakers and practitioners. Operating at the international, national, regional and local levels, Nordregio’s research covers a wide geographic scope, with an emphasis on the Nordic and Baltic Sea Regions, Europe and the Arctic. The Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. The Nordic Council of Ministers is a forum of co-operation between the Nordic governments. The Nordic Council of Ministers implements Nordic co-operation. The prime ministers have the overall responsibility. Its activities are co-ordinated by the Nordic ministers for co-operation, the Nordic Committee for co-operation and portfolio ministers. Founded in 1971. The Nordic Council is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic parliaments and governments. The Council consists of 87 parliamentarians from the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council takes policy initiative s and monitors Nordic co-operation. Founded in 1952. Stockholm, Sweden, 2020 Table of contents Introduction..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Case study sites ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Analytical approach ............................................................................................................................... 10 Potential geographic accessibility ............................................................................................................ 10 Health care facilities and categorization ................................................................................................ 10 Data and processing ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Results ................................................................................................................................................................12 Denmark ...........................................................................................................................................................12 Health care facilities ...............................................................................................................................12 Accessibility analysis ...............................................................................................................................13 Finland...............................................................................................................................................................17 Health care facilities ...............................................................................................................................17 Accessibility analysis ...............................................................................................................................17 Sweden ........................................................................................................................................................... 20 Health care facilities ............................................................................................................................. 20 Accessibility analysis ............................................................................................................................. 20 Norway ............................................................................................................................................................ 25 Health care facilities .............................................................................................................................. 25 Accessibility analysis .............................................................................................................................. 26 Iceland .............................................................................................................................................................. 29 Health care facilities .............................................................................................................................. 29 Accessibility analysis .............................................................................................................................. 29 Social care in the case study municipalities ........................................................................................... 32 Morsø ......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Lappeenranta .......................................................................................................................................... 36 Luster ......................................................................................................................................................... 37 Storuman ................................................................................................................................................. 40 Fjarðabyggð and Fljótsdalshérað ....................................................................................................... 42 Cross-case comparison and conclusion .................................................................................44 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 Reference .........................................................................................................................................................48 Appendix 1 ....................................................................................................................................................... 49 nordregio report 2020:16 5 Introduction This accessibility study is an annex to the main initiated and funded by the Nordic Council of Min- VOPD main report and shows the current situation isters, with Glesbygdsmedicinskt Centrum as lead regarding the potential geographic accessibility partner. The aim is to explore different aspects of of health care for the residents in the VOPD case digitalisation in the health and care sectors, and study regions. The report also addresses the situ- what impact these transformations might have ation regarding the potential accessibility of social on regional development. The geographical scope care for the elderly population in the VOPD case of the study is the Nordic Region as a whole, and study municipalities. The theoretical approach the case study regions were specifically chosen as and methodology is built on a previous Nordregio representative of rural regions in each country. In project commissioned by the Icelandic Office for this perspective, results from the case study re- Regional Development (Byggðastofnun) in 2016, gions have been presented in such a way that any which covered the potential geographic accessibil- insight could be applied to other Nordic Regions ity of health care in the Icelandic regions. with similar geographies and residential patterns. The Nordic ‘Health care and care with dis- tance-spanning solutions’ (VOPD) project has been nordregio report 2020:16 6 Case study sites Case studies were conducted across the Nordic city and municipality is Lappeenranta with a pop- Region, with one region and municipality selected ulation of 72,634 (2019.12.31). from each territory (see Figure 1). In line with these The region of Västerbotten and Storuman mu- case studies, the accessibility study encompasses nicipality were chosen for Sweden. Västerbotten all the case study sites except for the Faroe Islands is the second most northely region in the country. and Greenland. The landscape consists of vast forest areas, lakes The region