Waiting times at Norwegian hospitals must come down. This was the clear message from Minister of Health Jan Christian Vestre in the 2025 Health Address. But how do we achieve this in practice, without placing an even greater burden on healthcare personnel?
At the request of the Ministry of Health and Care Services, the working group behind Ventetidsløftet (the “waiting time pledge”) has developed over one hundred proposals for measures that can genuinely free up time in the specialist health service. Oslo Economics has systematized these proposals and calculated the potential time savings.
Many good solutions already exist in Norwegian hospitals. The problem is that successful initiatives too often remain within a single department or hospital. The most important step, therefore, is to learn from each other and spread what works. In addition, the right incentives are crucial to achieving change. Financial instruments are one tool, but equally important are leadership support, recognition, confidence in one’s role and room to make necessary adjustments.
Quick impact – Measures that can make a difference in the short term:
- Clinical measures related to intake, follow-up appointments and the patient pathway
- Simple improvements to poor IT systems and faulty equipment
- Smarter task distribution to ensure the right expertise is used for the right tasks, avoiding wasted time
- Better use of existing buildings and equipment by upgrading current assets and using capacity more efficiently
- Simple organizational steps for improved work planning and more efficient processes
Long-term change – Measures that yield benefits over time:
- Structural reorganizations to improve flow, ensuring seamless logistics and better collaboration
- Investment in better digital tools to support documentation, coordination and decision-making
- Modernizing hospital infrastructure to create facilities that meet current and future needs.
Read the report here: https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/4ef97039d9844dbbb885bbe209097a6d/2025_rapport_tidstyver.pdf
You can read more about the Waiting Time Pledge here:
https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/helse-og-omsorg/sykehus/innsikt/ventetidsloftet/id3044263/
