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From: TT
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Photo: Ingela Landström / TT
The number of calls to 1177 The special line of the care guide for the symptoms of covid-19 is now from week 11 to week 45.
The pressure on the 1177 covid-19 hotline is as high as at the end of March, and the organization has once again entered a state of crisis.
– There are many who need health advice, says Sofie Zetterström, director of the business area.
The calm did not last long for 1177 Vårdguiden.
Only in August, after a quiet summer, they dared to vent the crisis that the organization has been going through since March. But as the infection spread curves turned upside down during the fall, the pressure on 1177 also increased, to levels that now equal them at the end of March. On Tuesday, the organization went into crisis again.
– Pressure on all 1177 channels is largely at the same levels as last spring, or higher, says Sofie Zetterström, 1177 Vårdguiden business area manager at Inera, who operates the technology.
The crisis situation means that they can make decisions more quickly, redistribute resources and “stay one step ahead”, as Sofie Zetterström describes it.
Almost hit the ceiling
When the pandemic erupted at its worst in March, 1177 established a special national hotline for people with corona symptoms. In mid-March, more than 114,000 people called in a week and then quickly dropped to 46,000 in the first week of April.
After a quiet summer with just over 10,000 calls a week, the numbers have started to climb steadily again. In the last week of October, about 39,000 calls were received to the line, while last week it had increased to almost 60,000.
– We try to control it so that you only choose that line if you have symptoms, not for general reasons. Now we see that this sex is very loaded, it almost reaches the ceiling, says Sofie Zetterström and adds:
– Indicates that many are sick and worried. That is a clear difference from last summer.
The high load brings two challenges: on the one hand, the technology must withstand the pressure, and on the other hand, there must be personnel to service the line.
– We are vigilant to make sure the technology lasts. But the nurses are in the regions, and if there aren’t enough nurses to respond, it doesn’t matter how strong the technology is, says Sofie Zetterström.
Four hour queue
It will be especially difficult because the nurses who work with 1177 need special training. In the spring, quick training was developed so that nurses could go the distance, but it still took time to get enough staff, says Sofie Zetterström.
– When it was at its worst in March, those who waited the longest in line could sit for four hours. The fact that they have persevered shows how important people think it is to be able to talk to someone when you are worried.
TT: Are you very understaffed now?
– In general, staffing has always been too low in 1177, it is difficult to recruit staff in health care. We now have a dialogue with the regions that they need to increase staffing again so that there are no excessively long wait times, says Sofie Zetterström.
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