Right to assessment and necessary healthcare
The hospital must assess your referral within 10 working days. If there is a suspicion of serious illness, the assessment must take place sooner. You will receive written feedback on the result of the assessment and the rights you have as a patient.
The assessment will have one of the following outcomes:
1. You are entitled to necessary healthcare in the specialist health service
You will be given a deadline for when your healthcare must begin at the latest, either in the form of an assessment or treatment. People under 23 receiving mental health or substance abuse services are entitled to start healthcare within a maximum of 65 working days.For all other patients, the standard is that care must be professionally sound; there are no set deadlines (helsedirektoratet.no).
You will be informed of when to first attend the hospital, either with a specific appointment or the week in which we expect to give you an appointment.
What can you do while you wait?
If, while you are waiting, you need help managing everyday life with health problems and illness, after the hospital has assessed that your need for healthcare would be best met by services outside the specialist health service, you can contact your GP or municipal services that do not require a referral
- Healthy Life Centres
- rapid mental health services
Healthy Life Centres
A Healthy Life Centre is a municipal health service for people who are at increased risk of illness or who already have an illness.Here, healthcare professionals can support you in changing your lifestyle and managing everyday life with health problems.
Healthy Life Centres offer both individual and group-based services and can help you:
- become more physically active
- eat a healthier diet
- sleep better
- quit using snus or smoking
- improve your mental health
- manage everyday life with health problems
Taking part in the services can reduce your risk of becoming ill, slow the progression of an illness, or form part of treatment or rehabilitation. Healthy Life Centres also have an overview of services and local offers and help participants find services that suit them.
See which municipalities offer this health service at helsenorge.no
Rapid mental health services
Rapid mental health services are a municipal, low-threshold treatment service for people over 16 with various types of anxiety and mild or moderate depression. You can also get help with sleep problems and early-stage substance use problems.
For more information, see: Mental health services for adults - Helsenorge
Digital services on Helsenorge
- You can findfree, evidence-based tools and advice if you want to change a habit, or if you simply need information about small steps you can take yourself to improve your health a little on Helsenorge (helsenorge.no).
- Helsenorge has gatheredquality-assured apps, videos and other health toolsto support you in everyday life and during treatment.
2. You do not need healthcare from the specialist health service
This means that the hospital has assessed that your healthcare needs would be best met by your GP or other parts of the health service.
A copy of the assessment, and any subsequent discharge summaries, will be sent to your GP and to the person who referred you. Notify the hospital if you do not want this.
What can you do?
If the hospital has assessed that your healthcare needs would be best met elsewhere, you can contactyour GPfor further follow-up.
If you need help changing your lifestyle or managing everyday life with illness, you can also contact municipal health services directly without a referral:
Healthy Life Centres
A Healthy Life Centre is a municipal health service for people who are at increased risk of illness or who already have an illness.Here, healthcare professionals can support you in changing your lifestyle and managing everyday life with health problems.
Healthy Life Centres offer both individual and group-based services and can help you:
- become more physically active
- eat a healthier diet
- sleep better
- quit using snus or smoking
- improve your mental health
- manage everyday life with health problems
Taking part in the services can reduce your risk of becoming ill, slow the progression of an illness, or form part of treatment or rehabilitation. Healthy Life Centres also have an overview of services and local offers and help participants find services that suit them.
See which municipalities offer this health service at helsenorge.no
Rapid mental health services
Rapid mental health services are a municipal, low-threshold treatment service for people over 16 with various types of anxiety and mild or moderate depression. You can also get help with sleep problems and early-stage substance use problems.
For more information, see: Mental health services for adults - Helsenorge
Digital services on Helsenorge
- You can findfree, evidence-based tools and advice if you want to change a habit, or simply need information about small steps you can take yourself to improve your health a little, at Helsenorge (helsenorge.no).
- Helsenorge has brought togetherquality-assured apps, videos and other health toolsthat support you in everyday life and throughout your treatment.
Right to a new assessment
The assessment of your right to healthcare has been carried out by a specialist. If you would like a new
assessment, you must contact your GP. You can choose which hospital your GP should send the referral to.
About the right to necessary healthcare and choosing a treatment centre – helsenorge.no