Access to treatment

THL reports on the availability of treatment in statistics on access to primary healthcare and specialised healthcare

The data on primary healthcare and specialised healthcare are reported according to the realisation of the maximum time periods for access to treatment specified in the Health Care Act. The maximum time periods are deadlines during which non-urgent care must be provided in public healthcare.

The statistics on the maximum waiting time for access to therapy are based on the maximum time periods in the organisation of mental health services and support for children and young people specified in the Health Care Act and the Social Welfare Act. An intervention within the maximum waiting time for access to therapy can take place at any stage of the care or service process.

Reporting on the continuity of care is based on the continuity of the care relationship between the patient and the healthcare professional.

Access to treatment in primary healthcare varied by age group and region – access to treatment for persons aged under 23 years declined

In 2025, it was less common to have access to treatment within two weeks than in the previous year. Especially getting a doctor's appointment in primary healthcare within 14 days was more difficult.

In 2025, access to treatment also declined for those under the age of 23, even though they should have continued to have access to treatment within 14 days. In particular, there were also differences between wellbeing services counties in access to treatment for children and young people.

There are several maximum time periods for access to treatment in non-urgent primary healthcare and the length of the time period varies for patients of different ages. For example, as of 1 January 2025, the maximum time periods for the first care event were extended from 14 days to three months for those aged 23 or over, but the maximum times for those younger than this remained unchanged.

The statutory longer maximum time period for those aged 23 or over was realised better than the shorter maximum time period of 14 days for those younger than that.

A dentist’s appointment was realised better for those aged 23 or over

In oral healthcare, the statutory longer maximum time period for those aged 23 or over was realised better than the shorter maximum time period for those younger than that. The extension of the maximum time periods from the beginning of 2025 does not seem to have significantly slowed down access to treatment within the statutory maximum time period in oral healthcare.

As from 1 January 2025, the maximum time periods for the first non-urgent care event in primary oral healthcare were extended from three months to six months for patients aged 23 or over. For patients under the age of 23, the maximum period remained unchanged, three months.

Read more about access to treatment in primary healthcare

In specialised healthcare, the largest number of patients were waiting for cataract and hip or knee replacement surgery in 2024

Access to treatment in specialised healthcare is monitored for 27 different procedures. At the end of 2024, the number of patients waiting for treatment was the highest for cataract surgery, 13,285 patients, and for hip or knee replacement surgery, 12,008 patients.

In 2024, the monitored measures belonging to the groups waiting for the different procedures show the same monthly variation in the number of patients on the waiting list as other statistics on access to treatment in specialised healthcare.

In early 2024, the percentage of those who had waited longer than six months was 20.4 per cent of all those who were waiting and rose to 22.5 per cent of all those who were waiting in the different groups towards the end of the year.

The number of patients who waited for mental health services in specialised healthcare for children and young people for more than three months varies by region

At the end of 2024, there were more than 1,400 patients who had waited for mental health services for children and young people (under 23 years). The number of patients waiting for treatment decreased slightly in early 2024.

In January 2024, there were 500 children and young people who had waited for access to mental health services for more than three months.

The number of those who had waited for treatment for more than three months varied by wellbeing services county. In 2024, the number those who had waited for treatment for more than three months was almost 250 persons/patients lower in the whole country than in 2023.

Read more about access to treatment in specialised healthcare

The act on the Mental Health Access Guarantee entered into force on 1 May 2025.

The statistics on the Mental Health Access Guarantee are based on the maximum time limits for organising mental health services and support for children and young people as laid down in the Health Care Act and the Social Welfare Act. An intervention within the Mental Health Access Guarantee can take place at any stage of the care or service process.

The act on the Mental Health Access Guarantee for children and young people entered into force on 1 May 2025. The objective of the act is to improve the prevention of mental disorders among children and young people, access to treatment in primary healthcare and access to support in primary social welfare services.

Mental health access guarantee requires that children and young people under the age of 23 must have access to certain services supporting mental health in primary healthcare within 28 days and in social welfare within 30 days from the date when the need was established.

Monitoring of the implementation of the Mental Health Access guarantee 

The implementation of the Mental Health Access Guarantee in primary health care is monitored on the basis of data accumulated in the Avohilmo register. THL reports on them nationally as data are supplemented.

The coverage of the data is expected to improve during 2026. It is estimated that within a few years, data on primary healthcare will be obtained from all wellbeing services counties.

The reporting of social welfare data will begin later when the implementation of the Kanta Services progresses. The first social welfare data is estimated to be available from 2027.

Read more about the Mental Health Access Guarantee for children and young people

Statistics on the continuity of care will be developed in the coming years

THL monitors the continuity of care on the basis of the data in the Care register for health care (Terveys-Hilmo) and Register of primary health care visits (Avohilmo). The statistics describe the average continuity of the care relationship between the patient and the professional on the basis of care events in publicly organised primary healthcare.

The continuity of care in primary healthcare has been found to be linked to results such as better treatment outcomes, customer satisfaction, lower costs of treatment and lower use of specialised healthcare.

In future, the statistics will be developed to describe the continuity of care more extensively than before.

Realisation of continuity of care

Indicator data on the continuity of care is published annually. The latest statistical report was published on the 2022 data.

• Indicator data in Sotkanet
• Indicator data in Sotekuva
• Read the entire statistical report (Julkari) (in Finnish)

More information

• Measuring the continuity of care in outpatient care in primary healthcare (Julkari) (in Finnish)
• Personal doctor programme: Aiming for better availability and continuity of care (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health) (link in Finnish)
• Submission of care notification data in healthcare
• Recommendation on monitoring the continuity of care – THL (in Finnish)

Next publications on the topic

For the publication schedule for statistical reports compiling annual data, go to the publication calendar.
Publication calendar (add link)

The latest statistical reports and current information can be found in the database reports available on the tabs.