The act on the Mental Health access guarantee supports the mental health of children and young people
The purpose of the act on the Mental Health access guarantee is to improve the availability of prevention and treatment of mental health disorders in children and adolescents in primary health care and the availability of support in basic social care services.
Mental health access guarantee requires that children and young people under the age of 23 must access certain mental health services within one month from the point when the need has been identified. The maximum waiting period is 28 days in primary health care and 30 days in social welfare services.
THL monitors and reports on the implementation of the Therapy Guarantee in primary health care in accordance with statutory obligations as data becomes available. For social welfare services, reporting data will begin to accumulate in the autumn of 2026, along with the introduction of Kanta services.
The Mental Health Access Guarantee in brief
The Act on the Mental Health Access Guarantee entered into force on1.5.2025.
Short-term psychotherapy or another psychosocial intervention covered by the Mental Health Access Guarantee must be initiated in primary health care no later than 28 days after the need has been identified.
In the therapy guarantee legislation, children and young people refer to persons under the age of 23.
Information on primary health care is being accumulated gradually
At the beginning of 2026, follow‑up data on the implementation of the Mental Health Access Guarantee had been received from the City of Helsinki; the wellbeing services counties of Eastern Uusimaa, North Karelia, Vantaa and Kerava, and Southwest Finland; as well as from the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
Therefore, no data has yet been received from the majority of wellbeing services counties.
The coverage of the data obtained varies significantly between regions, as the new recording codes are not yet available in the patient information systems of all areas, and there are differences in recording practices between regions. This is reflected in the reported figures and reduces their comparability.
The implementation of the Mental Health Access Guarantee is monitored based on data accumulated in THL’s primary healthcare register (Avohilmo). The information currently available does not yet provide a comprehensive picture of compliance with the statutory time limits of the Therapy Guarantee. THL will further develop the reporting as the quality and coverage of the data improve.
Explore the statistical data in more detail
- Compliance with the Mental Health Access Guarantee’s maximum time limit (28 days) in health care (in Finnish)
- Psychosocial methods used in the 1st treatment event (in Finnish)
Background information
- Data protection notice for the Avohilmo register (in Finnish)
- Guidelines for data collection in healthcare registers (in Finnish)
Source
Avohilmo-register, THL
Statistical description
The statistics on the Mental Health Access Guarantee monitor compliance with the statutory maximum waiting times as well as the intervention methods used. Data have been published since August 2025.
At present, the data are based on information from the primary healthcare register (Avohilmo), but data collection will later be expanded to also cover social welfare services.
In the monitoring statistics for the Mental Health Access Guarantee, only visits reported in accordance with the recording guidelines for the Mental Health Access Guarantee are included, and the method used must belong to the set of methods defined under the Guarantee.
Update schedule
The data in the statistical cubes are updated monthly.
Contact details
Statistics on Mental Health Access Guarantee: Aamu Klutas, aamu.klutas(at)thl.fi
Procedure codes and recording related
to the Mental Health Access Guarantee: Terhi Aalto-Setälä, terhi.aalto-setala(at)thl.fi
Reports on primary health care: avohilmo(at)thl.fi
Questions related to social welfare services: sotetiedonhallinta(at)thl.fi