South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority owns eleven health trusts. It is the largest of four regional health authorities responsible for the specialist health service in Norway.
The region includes the counties of Agder, Akershus, Buskerud, Innlandet, Oslo, Telemark, Vestfold and Østfold.
The group of health trusts has long-term agreements with five private non-profit hospitals. It also has contracts with around 900 private specialists and several other private healthcare providers.
The head office is located in Hamar.
In 2024, 85,342 employees worked the equivalent of 68,488 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
The number of inpatient beds for adult mental health care in the region increased by 19.5 beds from 2023 to 2024. The targets for growth from 2023 has been met for both inpatient days and outpatient treatment, while the number of discharges remains unchanged from 2023.
The target for outpatient care for children and adolescents in mental health services has been met. However, the targets for discharges and inpatient activity have not been achieved.
In interdisciplinary specialized substance abuse treatment, there was a slight decrease in the number of inpatient days.
Compared to 2023, there was a 2.2 percent increase in somatic activity, measured by the number of DRG points. The shift from inpatient to day treatment and outpatient care continues.
About three out of four hospital admissions in somatic care are classified as “emergency care” and patients are admitted without waiting time.
For patients who have started receiving care, the average waiting time has increased across all service areas in recent years. In 2024, the average waiting time was 76 days – an increase of three days from 2023.
Efforts to reduce waiting times intensified following the Government’s “Waiting Time Initiative,” launched on May 14, 2024.
The Minister of Health, employers, employee organizations, and regional health authorities have signed a cooperation agreement to reverse this trend.
The goal is to reduce waiting times so that by June 2025 they are at or below the level of June 2019
Helse Sør-Øst allocated more than NOK 3.7 billion to research and innovation, involving around 2,600 full-time equivalents (FTEs). In 2024, regional research funding amounted to NOK 667 million.
The region accounts for over 70 percent of all research conducted in the specialist health services.
In 2024, the group of enterprises employed 85,342 people, who together performed 68,488 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
Total salary costs, excluding pensions, increased by 6.7 percent. The cost of hiring temporary healthcare personnel fell from NOK 849 million in 2023 to NOK 612 million in 2024.
The overall sick leave rate across the group of enterprises was 7.7 percent.
There is a good gender balance on the boards of the regional health authority, the health trusts, and the user committee. As of the 2024 financial statement, six women and five men served as board chairs in the health trusts.
The executive management team of the regional health authority consists of four women and five men.
The group of enterprises has implemented several measures to reduce its environmental impact.
In 2024, energy-saving measures reduced energy use by 11.6 million kilowatt-hours. More than 21,500 IT devices were sent for reuse and secure recycling – over twice as many as the year before. These efforts support both environmental gains and more efficient use of resources.
The four health regions have adopted joint climate and environmental goals for the specialist health services; see the status as of 2024.
Helse Sør-Øst reported a total revenue of NOK 114.8 billion in 2024, up from NOK 106.8 billion in 2023.
The net result for 2024 was NOK 1,544 million, remaining at the same level as in 2023.
Investments in the group totalled to NOK 16.9 billion in 2023 – a significant increase from the previous year. Several major construction and digitalization projects continue in 2024.
South-Eastern Norway Health Authority
has entered into agreements with private providers to help fulfil its duty to ensure access to care, reduce waiting times, and offer patients more choice.
The regional health authority purchases health services from private providers for nearly NOK 4.3 billion each year.
The group of health enterprises
is carrying out a historic renewal of hospital facilities in the region. A total of NOK 117 billion is planned for investment over the next ten years, with continued emphasis on new technology. This marks an important and necessary shift in resources from operations to long-term investmentt.
The group manages approximately 2.8 million square meters of building space, including 300,000 square meters of leased premises. In addition, 400,000 square meters are part of the national heritage plan for the health sector.