What are our tasks?

Helse Nord RHF owns the six health trusts, four of which are hospitals that offer patient treatment. In total, the group employs over 19,000 people.

Helse Nord RHF is led by a board and has an administration located in Bodø. To ensure good user involvement, user committees have been established both at the regional level and in the health trusts within Helse Nord. Several of the health trusts also have youth councils.

The Board of Helse Nord RHF: Styret i Helse Nord RHF
User Involvement: Brukermedvirkning

Helse Nord offers specialist health services both through its own health trusts and by purchasing from private institutions and medical and psychological specialists with whom we have agreements.

Treatment Locations: Behandlingssteder

Some tasks, such as procurement, patient travel, and air ambulance services, are coordinated by jointly owned national companies that the four health regions own together.

Jointly Owned National Health Enterprises: Felleseide nasjonale helseforetak

The Center for Clinical Documentation and Evaluation (SKDE) is an independent unit within Helse Nord.

SKDE

Helse Nord RHF's vision is "Together for health in the north"

This vision is the desired future we strive towards. We achieve more together. Our core values are: quality, safety, respect, and teamwork.

Vision: Visjon

Plans, Strategies, and Projects

We must take a holistic view of everything we do. Therefore, it is important to have thorough analyses and plans as a foundation.

Regional Strategies: Regionale strategier

Mandate Document

The Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) and the government determines the framework for Helse Nord. The orders to the regional health authorities are collected in what is called a Mandate Document, "Oppdragsdokument". The Mandate Document is delivered from our owner, the Ministry of Health and Care Services (Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet), to the regional health authorities at a corporate meeting at the beginning of the year.

In the same way, the regional health authority manages its health trusts. Annually, management requirements and frameworks are given from Helse Nord RHF to the health trusts, and it is formally delivered at the corporate meeting.

Management Goals, Management Requirements, and Frameworks: Styringsmål, styringskrav og rammer

Ownership Management through Corporate Meetings

The Minister of Health and Care Services can also call for corporate meetings several times if he/she deems it necessary.

Although the Minister of Health "owns" the regional health authorities, the corporate meeting is the only arena where the minister can exercise ownership management over the regional health authorities.

The rest of the year, the boards of the health trusts are responsible for managing and controlling operations in the regions.

Helse Nord RHF similarly holds corporate meetings with its health trusts.

Corporate Meetings: Foretaksmøter

Results - Annual Report - Economy

How do we solve our tasks? How well do we manage the money from the Norwegian Parliament? The annual report is the main annual report to the Ministry of Health and Care Services.

Economy: Økonomi
Key Figures: Nøkkeltall

Our Main Tasks

The main tasks that we must facilitate, plan, organize, and promote within the region are:

Patient treatment
Education of health personnel
Research
Education and guidance of patients and next of kin
Development of medical practice, care, and competence development.

Patient Treatment

Our hospitals should provide you with the treatment you need when you become ill or injured. The smaller local hospitals do not have as many specialists as the larger hospitals. Therefore, you may be sent for treatment in another part of the region than where you live. The hospitals have routines for cooperation so that you as a patient are well taken care of, whether you receive treatment locally, need to go to another hospital, or receive treatment by one of our private service providers.

Helse Nord RHF owns six health trusts, four of which are hospitals that offer patient treatment. In total, the group employs over 19,000 people.

We offer specialist health services both through our own health trusts and by purchasing from private institutions and medical and psychological specialists with whom we have agreements. Patients and relatives should be able to use the private actors with agreements, on an equal footing with the hospitals.

Research

The right to benefit from scientific progress is one of the core values of the Norwegian health service. Medicine and nursing are fields that are constantly evolving. New knowledge means that care, working methods, and technology improve. We in the regional health authorities are responsible for providing funds to researchers and ensuring that they research things that provide direct benefits in patient treatment. There is a lot of research in our hospitals, and in addition, we collaborate with universities and colleges.

Education of Health Personnel

Our hospitals need the best professionals, and the professionals need to get the right knowledge so that they can do the best possible job from day one. We work closely with colleges and universities to ensure that the education of doctors, nurses, and others is as useful as possible.

Training of Patients and Relatives

Many diseases or injuries mean that you as a patient will have to adapt your life to a new situation. All hospitals should have a good offer of training for both you as a patient and your relatives so that you can live with your illness. We ensure that all training units cooperate, that they provide an equally good offer to everyone, and that those who work there are updated with the latest knowledge.

Development of Medical Practice, Care, and Competence

Our hospitals need the best professionals, and the professionals need to get the right knowledge so that they can do the best possible job from day one. The Tørn program aims to strengthen systematic improvement work and experience sharing, as well as cooperation across health trusts for better use of competence and personnel.

What is the Specialist Health Service?

The Storting and the government determine the framework for what our public health service is. In Norway, the public health service is divided into two:

The primary health service is run by the municipalities and is responsible for general practitioners, care and nursing services, and other services provided over a long period in your local community.
The specialist health service is run by the four regional health authorities Helse Nord, Helse Midt-Norge, Helse Vest, and Helse Sør-Øst. The service consists of, among other things, hospitals, institutions, and services within mental health care, substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation, and radiology.

The division of responsibilities between the regional health authorities and the municipalities is partly related to the degree of specialization of the services.