NOK 5.6 billion for municipal interaction

Local authorities will receive over NOK5.6 billion in 2012 in connection with the introduction of the interaction reform. "This will give the local authorities the resources they need to resolve the new tasks that follow from the reform," says Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Liv Signe Navarsete.

With effect from 2012, municipal co financing of the specialist health services and municipal payment responsibility for patients being discharged from hospital will be introduced. Since these will be new tasks for the authorities, the NOK 5.6 million for interaction will be in addition to the income increases for next year.

"Local authorities all over the country are well under way with the interaction reform in good time before it comes into force. Over the coming years we will see a change in which local authorities give residents more and better health care closer to where people live," says Navarsete.

"The interaction reform is a declaration of confidence in local authorities. The reform comes into force from next year, but the changes will occur over time. The local authorities will have time to adapt to their new tasks, so as to find the best solutions for their residents. I have great confidence that the local authorities, either alone or together with neighbouring authorities, will find the best solutions for their residents," says Navarsete.

The funds that will go towards municipal co financing of the specialist health services and municipal payment responsibility for patients being discharged from hospital will be distributed among local authorities by means of an income system that will take into account the age distribution of their residents.
In total, sufficient funds will be transferred to cover the cost of municipal co financing and patients being discharged from hospital.

"Even so, some local authorities may have higher costs at the time of introduction than will be captured by distribution according to the cost keys. For the first three years, these will receive compensation over and above what is distributed in accordance with the cost key," says Navarsete.

In order that no local authorities will lose from the reorganisation, the Government is allocating NOK 305 million of the rise in unrestricted income to compensation to individual authorities next year.

With effect from 2016, the local authorities will have an obligation to offer residential care to persons with an acute need for assistance from the authority's health and care services.  The local authorities will receive NOK 262 million to commence this work from 2012. Half of these funds will be distributed on application and half given as direct assistance from the regional health authorities. This will be in addition to the NOK 5.6 billion that will be transferred through the subsidy framework.

 

For more information, contact the press centre at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on tel. 22 24 25 00