- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2021
Reform of health and social services, with a focus on long-term care and community-based mental health care
In Lithuania, care is fragmented and is still oriented towards the provision of institutional and in-patient care, and access to out-patient services is limited. This technical support project supported the Lithuanian Ministry of Health, in order to improve the provision of long-term care (LTC) and mental health care services in the country.
Context
The existing provision of long-term care (LTC) services in Lithuania does not fully meet the needs of older people, or people with mental health needs, and specifically the need for home- and community-based care for people with mental health disorders. LTC is funded from different sources and organized at different levels. Moreover, most care provided to the elderly and the disabled is still carried out by families and relatives, due to insufficient service provision. The social protection system also relies on significant out-of-pocket payments. Mental ill-health represents a significant disease burden in Lithuania, and at least 8.6% of the population have one or more mental health conditions. The availability of mental health and primary care services does not systematically translate into a functional team approach, with effective mechanisms to detect illness early and meet patients’ needs, especially in community settings.
Support delivered
Concrete support measures included: (i) an analysis of the current provision of long-term care services in Lithuania; (ii) an identification of current strengths and challenges in the area of mental healthcare; (iii) consultations with Lithuanian and international stakeholders regarding best practices in the field of long-term care and community mental health care; (iv) design of a new model for integrated long-term care provision, taking into account international best practices; (v) proposal for a new model of community-based mental health care, and development of a framework for its subsequent evaluation; and (vi) provision of trainings and a roadmap for the effective implementation community-based mental health care services, across the Lithuanian territory.
Results achieved
The project enhanced the capacity of the Lithuanian authorities to design, implement and evaluate an integrated model of long-term care and mental health care provision, with a stronger reliance on home- and community-based care alternatives. On the mental health front, the Ministry of Health has introduced changes to roll-out the provision of services for acute mental health patients in the community, improve clinical pathways, and implement more robust monitoring frameworks. On the long-term care front, important steps have been taken to ensure a more integrated and streamlined delivery of long-term care services – including through the expansion of home care, and the adoption of new procedures and conditions for the provision of integrated services, in response to complex care needs.
More about the project
You can read the documents related to the project here: