Wellness centers generally have a poor reputation—there are significant challenges related to management and communication
The Reputation&Trust " survey of healthcare regions, conducted by T-Media, reveals that Soite in Central Ostrobothnia is the most reputable healthcare region, with a moderate reputation score. The survey examined the reputation and stakeholder support of a total of 21 healthcare regions among their residents.
T-Media conducted a survey on the reputations of well-being regions in August–September 2023, with a total of 5,134 residents of these regions responding. This was the first time such a survey of well-being regions had been conducted. Among the top-ranked well-being regions, Central Ostrobothnia had a reputation score of 3.24 and Southern Ostrobothnia 3.00.
“The survey we have just conducted serves as a baseline study. It will be interesting to use this as a starting point to examine annually how the reputation of the well-being areas and the level of perceived trust develop among residents,” says Nina Laakso, Ph.D., Senior Expert at T-Media, who led the study.
Looking at the average score, the results for the well-being areas remain at a low level. The average score for the regions (2.79) fell below the moderate level, which begins at a score of 3.00 in the study. Reputation&Trust, a reputation score on a scale of 1–5 is calculated for each well-being region.
The Reputation&Trust Survey of Well-being Regions. The study examined the reputation of 21 well-being regions among residents. The figures in the graph represent the averages of the well-being regions surveyed and the ratings they received.
Among the various aspects of reputation, products and services (3.01) and sustainability (3.01) received moderate ratings. The areas requiring the most improvement were leadership (2.60) and interaction (2.64), which received the lowest reputation scores.
“It’s great that the core mission and accountability of the welfare sectors are seen as their strongest areas. On the other hand, management is not seen as having succeeded in its role. I believe that management communication, in particular, needs to be improved. Residents are more likely to accept the decisions made if their background is explained and properly justified,” says Laakso.
Understanding of well-being zones is still developing – the negativity of public discourse is linked to their reputation
The welfare regions responsible for organizing social and health services as well as emergency services began operations at the start of 2023. Until now, these responsibilities have fallen to the municipalities.
“Since the well-being regions are still in their early stages, respondents may still be evaluating the operations of previously existing organizations, such as municipal consortia. The structure of the welfare regions is not yet entirely clear to everyone, and thus perceptions of the organizational structure may be limited to social and health care and hospital services,” Laakso says.
“Public discourse regarding social and health care services, staff shortages, staff compensation, and workplace well-being has long been dominated by a negative tone. The welfare regions have begun their operations in this climate. This has certainly contributed to people’s perceptions of the reputation of the welfare regions.”
The open-ended responses in the survey highlighted residents’ need for improvements to basic services in the welfare districts. In particular, they called for clear improvements to the call-back service and access to care.
This is how we conducted the study
The goal Reputation&Trust of the well-being regions was to assess the reputation of all 21 well-being regions that were established in 2023 among their residents. Data for the survey was collected via an online questionnaire in August and September 2023.
Organizations were evaluated using T-Media’s Reputation&Trust, in which an organization’s reputation score is calculated as the average of eight different categories. The areas are corporate governance, finance, leadership, innovation, interaction, products & services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point rating scale (1–5).
A total of 5,134 Finns participated in the study. The study’s target group consisted of residents aged 15–65 in each welfare region.
For more information:
Nina Laakso, Senior Advisor, T-Media
+358 400 808 940
nina.laakso@reptrust-staging.fi-p.seravo.com
