Healthcare guarantee
Vårdgaranti - engelskaThe content concerns Västra GötalandThere is a limit to how long you can be kept waiting for medical care. If you have been waiting too long at one clinic, you are entitled to receive care at another. This is called the healthcare guarantee.
The healthcare guarantee applies to your chosen medical care centre, where you have registered.
The healthcare guarantee also applies to certain other clinics where you cannot be registered, such as youth clinics, prenatal clinics or child healthcare centres.
How the healthcare guarantee works
These are your rights under the healthcare guarantee:
Contact with your medical care centre the same day
The medical care centre where you are registered must contact you on the same day that you seek care.
For example, you can call or visit the medical care centre. Many clinics also offer video calls.
Assessment of your healthcare needs within three days
The staff at the medical care centre will decide whether you need care. This decision must be made within three days.
The assessment may be by a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist.
Appointment at a specialist clinic within 90 days
You may need care at a specialist clinic. The person you meet at the medical care centre will send a referral there with information about your case.
An appointment will be made for you within 90 days if the specialist clinic decides that you need specialist care. The same applies if you make the appointment yourself, without a referral from a doctor.
Treatment will start within 90 days
You must receive treatment within 90 days. The doctor at the specialist clinic will decide together with you whether you are going to receive treatment, such as an operation.
Some regions have shorter waiting times for care.
You must be given information about the healthcare guarantee. It is important that you understand how your choices affect how long you have to wait for care.
Extended healthcare guarantee in Västra Götaland
Adult neuropsychiatry
You must be given an appointment for an examination within 90 days of the examination decision.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- You must be given an appointment within 30 days of the referral decision.
- You must be given an appointment for an in-depth examination/treatment within 30 days of the examination decision.
- After the examination, treatment must be offered within 30 days.
Suspicion of cancer
- In cases where there is a strong suspicion of cancer in children, an appointment with a specialist must be made within 2 days of the receipt of a referral at the clinic.
- When there is a suspicion of certain types of cancer in adults, an appointment with a specialist doctor must be made within 14 days of the receipt of a referral at the clinic.
If you miss an appointment
If you miss an appointment on two occasions, your referral will be sent back to the doctor who made it.
If you do not receive care under the healthcare guarantee
The regions have staff who can answer your questions about the healthcare guarantee. In some regions they are called vårdlotsar, or healthcare counsellors. If you have waited too long for care, a healthcare counsellor can help you contact another clinic, which may be in another region.
If you want to use the healthcare guarantee you cannot choose which clinic to receive care at.
You can, however, refuse care at the indicated clinic. If you do that, the healthcare guarantee does not apply and you may have to wait longer for care.
If you change your mind
Contact the clinic where you were offered care if you change your mind.
The healthcare guarantee begins again on the date you notified the clinic that you had changed your mind.
If you seek care in another region
The Swedish Tax Agency registers where you live, which is your registered address. The healthcare guarantee only applies in the region of your registered address. We cannot guarantee that you will get care within a certain time if you seek care in another region.
Your care needs will determine how quickly you are given care. Those in greatest need receive care first. This applies no matter where you are registered.
Some regions have special agreements which mean that their healthcare guarantee may also apply in other regions. Ask healthcare staff whether this is the case in your region.
If you have not been offered healthcare within the guaranteed period in Västra Götaland
If your medical care centre or hospital cannot offer you care within the guarantee period, you must be offered care by another care provider.
If you are offered care by other care provider:
- There are no extra costs. You pay the same patient fee that you would in the region where you normally receive care.
- The high cost limit and free prescription card apply.
- Travel costs to another clinic are paid for. You only need to pay the fixed fee.
- If you don’t accept the care offered, you will remain in the healthcare queue in your own region. The waiting time may then be longer than the maximum under the healthcare guarantee.
Do you have any questions about the healthcare guarantee? Are you wondering whether you can get care sooner somewhere else?
Contact the clinic you are waiting to go to
- Log in to 1177.se to send a message. The service is in Swedish. To find the right clinic, click on "Hitta och lägg till". Find the clinic and click on "Lägg till mottagning".
- Call the clinic you are waiting to receive care at. You can also call 020-44 55 55, option 1.
Contact the Healthcare Guarantee Service (VGR)
- The Healthcare Guarantee Service will answer your questions about the healthcare guarantee. Sometimes they can help you to find a shorter queue for care.
- Log in to 1177.se to send a message to the Healthcare Guarantee Service (VGR). The service is in Swedish.
Call the Healthcare Guarantee Service on 020-44 55 55, option 3.