The key similarities between the Swedish and the UK healthcare system
What does the UK and Sweden have in common? Public health focus, aging populations and increasingly complex healthcare needs. We had a chat with Craig Oates, Managing Director of Doctrin UK, about the similarities between the Swedish and the UK healthcare system.
Just like Sweden, the UK NHS is internationally renowned for the quality and reputation of its healthcare system and both countries have a significant public health focus.
Craig Oates, Managing Director of Doctrin UK says: “As a business we want to touch a billion lives and to do so we need and want to grow internationally. There are many synergies and similarities between the Swedish and UK and Ireland health systems and we believe that the UK is the right next step for us in growing internationally.”
The two countries also share significant challenges with aging populations and increasingly complex health and social care needs that care organisations are struggling to meet, all of which has been exacerbated by Covid-19.
Craig Oates explains: “With the additional demands and waiting list for care that have grown during the pandemic the NHS simply cannot meet the demand for health and social care services using traditional care models. Patients are waiting longer for treatment and clinical and caregiver staff are struggling to meet demand, with increasing numbers choosing to leave the healthcare professions due to the pressure and stress they are experiencing.”
With some 70% of healthcare-resources being spent on the 14-15% of the population with complex healthcare needs, such as multiple chronic diseases or long-term conditions, health care providers are struggling to deliver a level of care that meets public demand but also does so at a cost that is acceptable. Moving to digital first models of care represents an opportunity to meet demand and do so cost effectively without reducing the quality of care being provided. Getting patients to the right person at the right time, in the right place, which may often not be a face-to-face consultation with a doctor. By redirecting demand to other skilled caregivers who can meet the patient’s needs it releases time for senior clinicians and doctors to focus on those patients who need their specific skills.
But even though there are a lot of similarities between Sweden and the UK, there are also some key differences.
Craig Oates concludes: “In many ways the UK has a more digitally mature health system than we have in the Nordics and is moving towards an integrated care model, that allows us to learn lessons from them and develop our platform to better support customers in our other markets.”
