High praise for Falck’s primary care centre in Sandviken

Just over 30 employees work at the Falck health centre in Sandviken, including doctors, nurses, rehab coordinators and occupational therapists, who all form part of a committed team. Ever since 2016, when the health centre became part of Falck, its director Balazs Rethy has been working together with the staff to build up a centre that places clear focus on patient-centric care and puts continuity at the top of the agenda. This work has yielded results in the form of both positive patient evaluations and the number of patients who choose the centre, which recently reached new heights with 10,000 registered patients.

“We know our patients here. Almost everyone has their own doctor who they can see every time they come down to us. Even our physiotherapists and counsellors follow up on their patients. As a patient, you shouldn’t need to explain your whole case from the beginning at every appointment,” says Balazs Rethy.

Topping annual patient evaluations in Gävleborg

Each year, patients who have had contact with a health centre in Gävleborg County during a certain period will be asked to fill out a questionnaire on their care experience. The questions concern factors such as reception, accessibility and how much influence the patient has over their care. Within the local area, Falck Hälsopartner is among the highest scorers, at position seven out of 44 in Gävleborg.

That the centre scores so highly among its patients is down to the continuity they have fostered according to Balazs, but also the atmosphere and the staff – something which Lotta Blom Olsson, coordinator and managerial support, can attest to:

“Even though we are subject to the same requirements as the regional health centres, we have greater freedom to try different things and assess different options. This generates motivation among the staff and is something we can see reflected in our patients, as they can tell we have a good working climate,” says Lotta.

Global perspective for local benefit

The fact the health centre is a part of an international company such as Falck is evident in several ways, and this is something that Balazs sees as being wholly positive:  

“Falck Sverige is a repository of knowledge and expertise within various different areas. It feels great to be part of a health-promoting company with overlapping areas and fields. Being part of a global company can also open the door to other possibilities. We have access to information about what other countries are doing and insight into healthcare developments from different perspectives, and that is very motivating,” he says.