Minister of Health Willum Þór Þórsson today launched a promotion campaign on greatly increased services and advice on health-related issues in the telephone number 1700 and on an online chat Heilsuvera. Heilsuveru's online chat is also in the lower right corner of the Vestfjörður Health Foundation's website. The goal of strengthening the service is to increase services to the public with health-related advice and referrals to appropriate services.
Nurses and other specially trained staff at the Information Center of the Capital Region's Healthcare Center and the Medical Watch answer calls from the public 24 hours a day, resolve issues and point out where the person can seek services if needed. The experience with this service shows that it is possible to resolve an increasingly large number of cases with remote solutions, which is a better service for the individual and also reduces the burden on the healthcare system.
"It is important to establish targeted guidance to appropriate services within the health system and thus increase access to the services. By promoting road guidance by phone and online chat, the efficiency of the system increases and the needs of individuals are better met with the right service in the right place," says Willum.
It can be difficult for the public to know where to go for services in the event of an illness or accident. This has led, among other things, to people looking to the emergency room, where the workload is high, with a solution that can be solved in other ways. With one call to 1700 or online chat at Heilsuvera you can get advice on the best place to look, but it is still important to call the emergency number 112 in an emergency.
Improved accessibility
"We are creating a single portal into the health service in order to significantly simplify all access for the public," says Ragnheiður Ósk Erlendsdóttir, director of nursing at the Capital Region Health Service. “These are ways that are easy to remember and easy to learn; call 112 in an emergency, but otherwise hear from us on phone 1700 24 hours a day or in the Heilsuvera online chat between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
She says the staff who answer the phone and the online chat do everything possible to catch people's issues, solve them or put them on the right track. Emphasis will also continue to be placed on improving information on Heilsuvera's educational website in order to provide people with good and reliable information about symptoms, diseases and other health issues.