Organized jointly by Catalonia International and the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the Nordic and Baltic Countries

From today until Thursday, Catalonia International and the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the Nordic and Baltic Countries have jointly organized a programme of visits and meetings in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, focusing on the social and healthcare sectors. Denmark's case is particularly interesting because they are reforming their healthcare system after thoroughly reflecting on areas for improvement and future challenges. The aim of the trip is to observe firsthand and gain more insights on the following points, among others:

• The operation of the Danish model for home-based social and healthcare services.
• How the governance of social and healthcare services is structured between various institutions.
• The specific services provided and how they operate, such as whether there is a network of sheltered housing and who is responsible for it.
• Whether the home care model also includes services for individuals with different types of disabilities (physical or mental) and support for the elderly.
• How staffing works and who is responsible for hiring personnel.
• Payment models for care services and whether there is a co-payment system.
• Shared assessments between the institutions involved in social and healthcare services and who gathers the conclusions.
• Management and protection of patient personal data when it needs to be shared between multiple institutions.

The programme includes visits to entities such as Healthcare Denmark, DaneAge and Danish Regions, as well as meetings with experts and political leaders, including members of the Health Committee of the Danish Parliament, representatives from the Health and Elderly Care Area of KL - Local Government Denmark, and officials from the Danish Health Authority.

The group of eleven Catalan participants includes representatives from various entities that are members of Catalonia International, such as the Catalan Association of Municipalities, the Federation of Municipalities of Catalonia, the City of Girona, the City of Barcelona, the Provincial Government of Lleida, trade unions CCOO Catalonia and UGT Catalonia, the Third Sector Platform of Catalonia, and the Government of Catalonia through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Rights and Inclusion. The group is accompanied by the Director-General of Catalonia International, Laura Foraster i Lloret, and the Catalan Delegate to the Nordic and Baltic Countries, Montserrat Riba Cunill.

With this activity, Catalonia International promotes the study and exchange of international best practices that may be relevant for their application in Catalonia. This trip follows a visit to Sweden in September 2023 to learn about best practices in healthcare management and the use of new technologies in sparsely populated areas, as well as a seminar on the same topic organized in Barcelona in May 2024 with the ministries of Health and Social Rights of the Government of Catalonia.