Social care records to join Kanta in September; staff warn paperwork will cut care time

Social welfare providers across Finland must connect to the Kanta data services by early September. The move gives clients and relatives real-time access to social care entries in OmaKanta, YLE reports. It builds on earlier regional plans: Pirkanmaa had said daily home care visit records would appear on OmaKanta by the end of 2026 the region's plan announced in May.

The reform is meant to unify social and health information flows, but frontline workers say it risks shifting time away from direct care to administration. Staff at Tampere's Viola-kotiyhdistys say that in a 20-resident unit a caregiver could spend up to six hours a day on record-keeping after the switch, and manager Niina Lahti warns this harms care quality. Viola-kotiyhdistys was previously cited in reporting on pressures in regional care homes an earlier YLE report on communal housing.

Pellavakodin team leader Suvi Sillanpää says staff face an ethical tension. They want to be with residents, not at a computer.

In practice, teams must separate social care entries from health records. Sometimes the same observation has to be entered into multiple systems, which teams say creates extra daily work and a need for ongoing training.

National industry group Hali ry cautions the new client record systems are expensive and take months to roll out, and it says the September 1 deadline feels rushed. Providers report training costs have risen since May.

Supporters say the change encourages clearer, more narrative recording and allows clients and relatives to read entries in real time. That can help families manage issues such as progressing dementia.