Specialist health service, 2010

In 2010, the Norwegian specialist health service cost NOK 94 billion including depreciation. The costs decreased by 5 per cent from 2009. The decrease is caused by an accounting adjustment due to the pension reform. The costs increased when this adjustment is accounted for.

The number of contracted man-years adjusted for long-term leave amounted to 97 800. Man-years increased by 0.7 per cent from 2009 to 2010. The number of beds amounted to 21 000, with no increase from 2009. The number of out-patient treatments reached 6.9 million; an increase of 10 per cent.

Health enterprises owned by the central government (StatRes) accounted for 88 per cent of the costs in 2010. The health enterprises accounted for the same proportion of man-years. Seventy-five per cent of the beds belonged to the health enterprises, while 93 per cent of the out-patient consultations were conducted by these enterprises.

Specialist health service - regional level

South-East is by far the largest health region. In this region the operating costs including depreciation amounted to NOK 51 billion in 2010. The Western region was the second largest with NOK 18 billion. Furthermore, Mid-Norway cost NOK 13 billion and North was NOK 11 billion.

South-East accounted for 51 600 contracted man-years adjusted for long term leave. In West, this number was 17 900, in Mid-Norway 12 700 and in North 10 800. North had the highest number of man-years per 1 000 capita; 23 man-years. The number of contracted man-years adjusted for long-term leave does not include hired labour.

The South-East region accounts for 46 per cent of all beds and 56 per cent of out-patient treatments. The increase in the number of out-patient treatments was highest in West, but changes in registration routines caused a break in the time series. The number of beds decreased in all regions.

Fewer beds, more day treatments at general hospitals and institutions

The total operating costs related to general hospitals and institutions in 2010 were close to NOK 58 billion. By the end of 2010 there were around 14 500 beds in total, 12 100 of which were at general hospitals. That is a decrease compared to 2009 and in relation to the development of recent years. There were approximately 857 000 in-patient discharges, more than 4 700 000 out-patient consultations and close to 428 000 day-cases in general hospitals in 2010. The average length of an in-patient stay was 4.5 days compared to 4.6 days in 2009. Due to a change in the hospital financing system these figures are not comparable with figures for out-patient consultations and day-cases that were published in previous years. Read more: Patient statistics, 2009 . The number of day treatments in private rehabilitation institutions doubled in 2010. In 2010, the total number of contracted man-years adjusted for long-term leave in general hospitals and other somatic institutions was close to 65 700. In general hospitals, physician man-years represented 15 per cent of 63 000, and professional nurses 40 per cent.

More out-patient treatments in mental health care

Total operating costs for mental health care declined from 2009 to 2010. As in previous years, the number of out-patient consultations increased and the number of beds decreased. The number of beds for children and adolescents remained on the same level as previous years. The average length of stay per admission is 26 days, which is half of that in 2002. Adults over 18 spent an average of 7 days less in institutions than children and adolescents.

More man - years in multidisciplinary specialist substance abuse treatment

Total operating costs for multidisciplinary specialist substance abuse treatment increased from 2009 to 2010. The number of man-years for psychologists and physicians in multidisciplinary specialist substance abuse treatment increased by 15 per cent from 2009 to 2010, while the increase was 3 per cent for drug abuse treatment in general. The number of beds has remained stable compared with 2009. There is still growth in out-patient consultations, but growth has decreased compared with previous years.

Specialist physicians and psychologists with independent operating agreements

The number of specialist physicians and psychologists with independent operating agreements in 2010 was approximately 1 200. This figure has been stable in recent years.

Tables:

• Table 1 Number of assignments accomplished in the air ambulance, by type of assignment and by regional health enterprise. 2010
• Table 2 Man-years in the air ambulance, by category of personnel and by regional health enterprise. 2010