If you live in Stockholm County, in most cases you can choose for yourself where in the county and from which care provider you will apply for care. Freedom to choose includes both county council care services and private care services that are publicly financed. Thanks to the freedom to choose, you can choose a care provider to suit you and your needs.
How can I choose?
You can most easily choose care centres/GP care centres and child care centres through the Care Guide's e-service "Mina vårdkontakter" (my care contacts). You can also find the forms here in the Care Guide in the articles on choosing a care centre and choosing a child care centre. You can also telephone the Care Guide on 08-320 100 and order a form or make your choice be sending or delivering a form to the centre.
Care Choice Stockholm
Care Choice Stockholm is a mark of quality that shows that the centre fulfils certain requirements. This helps to make care more equal, in that certain quality requirements have to be fulfilled in order to become part of Care Choice Stockholm.
Care Choice Stockholm is constantly being extended and in future you will have a choice in more types of care than today. Read about the care that is included in Care Choice Stockholm.
Choosing
To make your choice of care centre/GP care centre easier, you can compare different centres with each other. You can compare how long it takes to get through on the telephone and what other patients think about the way they have been received.
The care guarantee means that you can change care provider if your current care provider cannot offer you an appointment and treatment within a certain time.
The care centre/GP care centre
You can be examined and receive treatment for most diseases and problems at the care centre/GP care centre. If you have any problems or need advice, you should first go to your GP.
If you wish you can choose a GP, but you need not make an active choice in order to receive care at a care centre /GP care centre. You can choose which care centre/GP care centre you want to go to and register when you go there. You can also change GP or centre whenever you wish.
If you know who you wish to choose, you should contact the centre where the doctor works. The doctor you choose may however have a complete list and not be able to take on new patients. In this case you can join the waiting list.
Specialists and hospitals
If you need more specialist care, your GP will refer you to a specialist. Your GP decides what kind of care you need, but you can choose which specialist or centre you want the referral sent to. You can for example choose one with the shortest waiting time, that uses a certain method of treatment or that is closest to where you live or work.
Where there is a waiting list, for an operation for example, you can compare how long you would have to wait at different centres.
You do not need a doctor's referral in order to see a specialist, but with a referral the waiting time may be shorter because the specialist can more easily judge your need for care. The first visit to a specialist also costs less if you have a referral.
Freedom of choice of hospital applies whether you need to be admitted or will visit an out-patient clinic at the hospital.
Antenatal and maternity care
If you are pregnant, you can choose where you wish to have antenatal, ultrasound and maternity care.
You can choose which maternity clinic you wish to go to, provided that it has the capacity to take you.
If the clinic you chose cannot take you when it is time for the birth, because of lack of places for example, they will help you to find another clinic.
Child health care
You visit the child health centre to check that your child is developing well. If your child is ill, you should go to a care centre/GP health centre – not to the child health centre. You can choose which child health centre you wish to go to, provided that it has the capacity to take your child.
Geriatric care
The geriatric clinics work closely with care centres/GP care centres and the acute hospital. These care providers send referrals for geriatric care to the geriatric clinic closest to where you live. The geriatric clinic in your neighbourhood assesse the referral and, if it is found that your care requirement is geriatric, you can choose care from any geriatric clinic in the county.
Physiotherapy
If you need physiotherapy, you can contact a physiotherapist directly without a referral. You can choose your physiotherapist yourself.
Psychiatric care
You can choose which psychiatric care centre you want to go to, wherever in the county you live. For a number of centres, however, you need a referral. You can telephone the centre yourself and ask if you need a referral to go there.
Freedom of choice applies to all psychiatric care, including adult care, care for children and young people, help with eating disorders and help with addiction. You are also able to change centres if you wish.
Patients receiving enforced care also have the possibility of choosing where they receive care. But in some cases the doctor can say no to a change. This may be for security reasons or if the care being given is acute.
Dental care
Freedom of choice also applies to dental care, for both children and adults. You can choose the dentist or dental hygienist for almost all dental care that is financed by the county.
Care in other counties
As a resident of Stockholm County, you are entitled to choose care in another county. This applies to care for which there is an agreement with another county. Cosmetic operations, operations for short-sightedness and certain vaccinations for example are not county financed in Stockholm County, which means there is no freedom to choose another county. Special rules apply to aftercare and rehabilitation. Ask your doctor about this.
Norrtälje
The municipality of Norrtälje (TioHundra) introduced special care choice in 2010 that gives residents of Norrtälje the opportunity to choose centres locally within the following four areas: care centres (GP care centres), child care centres, speech therapy and foot care. This opportunity to choose also covers other county residents.
Questions, points of view or complaints
If you have any questions about health care or if you need help in finding where to go, telephone the Care Guide on 08-320 100. They can also tell you which care centre you are listed at.
You can also put a question to a nurse at any time of the day or night by logging on to the Care Guide's e-service "Mina vårdkontakter" (my care contacts) and get a personal answer within an hour.
If any problems arise when you are seeking care, you should firstly talk to the person who nursed you. In the second instance, you should contact the manager responsible for the unit. You can also contact the patient board (Patientnämnden).
