Access to treatment in specialist medical care
The Act specifies the time limits within which patients in specialized medical care must gain access to non-urgent care (statutory care guarantee). However, in urgent cases treatment must be provided immediately. Non-urgent specialized medical care requires a referral from a physician or dentist. On this page, you will find information on care needs assessment and average waiting times.
Under the Health Care Act, the wellbeing services county is responsible for ensuring that both urgent and elective care needs assessments and actual care are provided on consistent medical or dental grounds. We are responsible for access to specialized medical care in Uusimaa. Helsinki and the wellbeing services counties of Uusimaa are responsible for access to primary healthcare.
Time limits defined in the Health Care Act
Once a referral arrives, we must process it within three weeks. If your referral is accepted, we will make an appointment for you or put you on hold to wait for a care needs assessment or for care. We may also return the referral to your referring physician with care instructions.
We need to complete a care needs assessment within three months of your referral arriving. As part of the care needs assessment, we may perform imaging or laboratory examinations before an appointment with or contact by a physician. You will be notified of these by letter and/or via Maisa.
In mental health services for children and adolescents, we must conduct a care needs assessment within six weeks of receiving the referral.
If we determine in the care needs assessment that you need care or advice, we must provide that service within no more than six months of the need for care being established. We consider the urgency of the care required and will provide the care more quickly if needed.
Mental health services for children and adolescents under 23 years of age must be arranged within three months of determining the need for care. We consider the urgency of the care required and will provide the care more quickly if needed.
The Health Care Act (sections 24 and 29) defines medical care and medical rehabilitation, which are subject to the time limits for access to treatment.
The following are excluded from the time limits for access to treatment (the statutory care guarantee):
- Rehabilitation, if by law it is the duty of the Social Insurance Institution (Kela) to provide medical rehabilitation.
- Treatment events performed for the sole purpose of obtaining a certificate or statement in healthcare.
- Services that promote health and wellbeing, such as advisory services on health.
Current situation in HUS for access to treatment
Access times to care at our hospitals vary by specialty. The figure below shows the median waiting time (in days) for the various specialties. The median waiting times are obtained when all waiting times are ranked and the middle value is taken.
The median waiting time (in days) for the various specialties
31st of October 2024
| specialty | median |
|---|---|
| internal medicine | 34 |
| surgery | 82 |
| neurosurgery | 50 |
| gynecology and obstetrics | 56 |
| pediatrics | 37 |
| ophthalmology | 65 |
| otorhinolaryngology | 42 |
| phoniatrics | 37 |
| oral and maxillofacial diseases | 58 |
| dermatology and allergology | 16,5 |
| oncology | 8 |
| psychiatry | 15 |
| neurology | 35,5 |
| pulmonology | 24 |
| medical genetics | 64 |
| physical medicine and rehabilitation | 21 |
Number of patients awaiting treatment by specialty (in Finnish)
hoitoa-odottavat-potilaat-erikoisaloittain-2024-lokakuu(pdf 329.36 KB) (opens in new window, links to another website)Reporting on access to treatment to THL
We send data on access to treatment to THL three times a year (April 30, August 30 and December 31).
The most recent data submitted by us to THL can be found in the reporting service of THL.