Municipalities also have a shortage of nurses

Not only county councils the nursing shortage in summer. In Blekinge, all municipalities had problems with recruitment in the summer.


Municipalities low staffing leads to anxiety among employees, according to Sveriges Radio P4 Blekinge.

- There is much concern about how it will be of almost everyone. It's stressful at times but it's mostly that you feel that you are not enough, says Katharina Losell, nurse in geriatric management in Ronneby Municipality, to Sveriges Radio P4 Blekinge.

The concern is due in large part to the activities of municipalities are vulnerable if a staff member is on sick leave. When this happens, some of the regular staff to work extra pass.

- There's no reserves, if someone gets sick, it's another regular who need to change their schedule and go at off-hours. Someone margin does not exist. I would not call it minimum staffing but this is a summer staffing. A minimum manning is probably a bit less, says Stefan Filip Petersson, care manager in Sölvesborgs municipality, to Sveriges Radio P4 Blekinge.

Two of the county's municipalities are turning to staffing agencies to fill the gaps where the staff is taken, but it takes time to introduce staff from agencies to businesses, which do not make it a perfect solution.