South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority owns eleven health trusts and is the largest of four regional health authorities that are responsible for the specialist health service in Norway.
The region includes Innlandet, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo, Vestfold, Østfold, Telemark and Agder. The corporate group has long-term agreements with five private non-profit hospitals and has an agreement with about 900 contract specialists and a number of other private health service providers. The headquarter is in Hamar.
In 2023, 84,167 employees performed 67,383 man-years of work.
The turnover in 2023 was 106,236 million kroner.
Within mental health care for adults, the number of outpatient stays increased by 2.6 percent in 2023, compared to 2022. Similarly, activity for children and young people increased by 5.7 percent from 2022 to 2023.
Within interdisciplinary specialized addiction treatment, the activity increased by 8.4 percent from 2022 to 2023.
The total activity within somatics was three percent higher in 2023 than in 2022. Within inpatient treatment, there was an increase of 5.9 percent, within day treatment an increase of 5.8 percent, while within outpatient clinics there was an increase of 3.5 percent.
The activity in 2023 was influenced, among other things, by high sick leave and higher staffing costs than budgeted.
In South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority 75 percent of cancer patients were included in treatment pathways in 2023. Of these, 68 percent received treatment within the standard time frame defined for each specific treatment pathway. The requirement for both of these conditions is 70 percent.
To ensure patient safety and quality, patients should not be placed in corridors. The percentage of patients in corridors as of December 2023, was 1,5 percent, thile the percentage in 2022 was 1,3.
In 2023, 2,301 cases were reported to the Norwegian Patient Injury Compensation (NPE) from South-Eastern Norway Health Authority. The corresponding figure for the previous year was 2,203. Payouts from NPE to patients treated in South-Eastern Norway Health Authority increased from 416 million kroner in 2022 to 559 million kroner in 2023.
Norwegian patient injury compensation (NPE) is a state agency under the Ministry of Health and Care services, responsible for handling compensation claims from patients who believe the have suffered harm due to treatment errors in the healthcare system.
Approximately three-quarters of admissions in somatic care at hospitals are classified as ‘emergency care.’ These patients are admitted without any waiting time.
The average waiting time for patients whose treatment has been initiated was 72 days in 2023, compared to 66 days in 2022.
In 2023, the average waiting time for the following service areas was:
The number of long-term waitlisted patients (those with waiting times exceeding one year) increased from 1,555 in December 2022 to 3,595 in December 2023.
The proportion of missed deadlines (fristbrudd) increased throughout 2023. As of December 2023, 86 percent of patient agreements are met. However, the goal of compying with a larger proportion of patient agreements compared to 2022 and meeting waiting time requirements is not achieved in any of the service areas.
The total budget for research and innovation in South-Eastern Health Authority was approximately four billion kroner in 2023, covering more than 2,400 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The contribution from regional research funds, including earmarked research funds from the Ministry of Health and Care Services, was around 664 million kroner in 2023.
South-Eastern Norway Health Authority coordinates the Program for Clinical Treatment Research (KLINBEFORSK) on behalf of the regional health trusts. The program was established in 2016 and is funded through a separate allocation from the national budget. The allocation for 2023 was 188.7 million kroner.
The healt trust has around 84,000 employees (approximately 67,000 full-time equivalents).
Total wage costs excluding pensions have increased by 5.8 per cent from 2022 and in 2023 were around NOK 63,000 million.
The total cost of hiring healthcare personnel from external providers was reduced from NOK 948 million in 2022 to NOK 848 million in 2023.
In 2023, the health trust had a total sickness absence of 8.5 per cent, compared to 8.8 per cent in 2022.
For the enterprise group seen as a whole, there is a good balance between women and men on the boards of the regional health enterprise, the health enterprises and in the user committee. There are six women and five men in the position of chairman of the board of health enterprises when the annual accounts are presented.
At the end of 2023, four out of eleven managing directors in the health enterprises were women. In the regional health authority's management group, four out of nine members are women.
Mapping of average wages in selected job groups shows that men on average earn more than women in all occupational groups that have been mapped. The differences are greatest in the administrative/management, research/education and medical groups.
The health authorities reported on target achievement for common climate and environmental targets in a follow-up meeting with the regional health authority in spring 2023.
The specialist health service's greenhouse gas accounts for 2023 show total emissions of 2,077,200 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
The specialist healthcare service has reduced CO2 emissions by 34 per cent from 2019 to 2023, which amounts to an emission reduction of 241,571 tonnes of CO2. The main reason for the reduction is that all four health regions have purchased recycled energy, which provides a reduction in CO2 emissions.
Total emissions for the healthcare institutions in South-Eastern Norway Health Authority in 2023 is 1,131,600 tonnes of CO2.
In 2023, the enterprise group had an annual result of NOK 1,544 million, compared to NOK 1,674 million in 2022.
The turnover was approximately NOK 106,000 million. In addition to South-Eastern Norway Health Athority, five of the healthcare institutions in 2023 had positive results.
The level of investment in the group of companies increased from NOK 9,221 million in 2022 to NOK 16,870 million in 2023.
South-Eastern Norway Health Authority has entered into agreements with private providers for the delivery of healthcare services as a contribution to fulfilling the "care for" responsibility in the region, reducing waiting times and giving patients greater freedom of choice.
South-Eastern Norway Health Authority has 90 ongoing agreements in the fields of mental health care, interdisciplinary specialized drug treatment and rehabilitation.
In 2023, Helse Sør-East RHF bought healthcare services from private suppliers with a purchase agreement and contract specialists for approximately NOK 4,900 million.
The health enterprise group manages a building stock of around 2.8 million square meters gross area (BTA). The total accounting values of the property stock are NOK 35,443 million. The 2023 investment budget for the development of buildings and properties was NOK 13,343 million.
The regional building projects are large and complex and represent major societal values. The projects are of great importance both for the local healthcare organization, the region and society at large.