Getting in touch with a Nav adviser by phone can take several days. Over 80 percent of the offices are only open ten hours or less a week for those who come without an appointment. Several offices are also completely closed. This is shown by a nationwide survey from the Norwegian Health Authority, which was published in October this year. The Norwegian Health Authority takes the situation seriously. They think there is a big risk that not everyone gets the help they are entitled to at the right time. TOO POOR ACCESSIBILITY: The report from the Norwegian Health Authority shows that large municipalities (more than 20,000 inhabitants) had slightly more ope than small municipalities (under 5,000 inhabitants). 61 out of 70 offices were open ten hours or less a week, for people who come without having an appointment in advance. In 11 of the offices, the reception was completely closed. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB The safety net in society The Nav office is the last place residents can contact for help with food, electricity and other very basic things. Over time, the Norwegian Health Authority has received reports that the social services have become less accessible. – Especially from the spring of 2017, we have seen that several reduced the opening hours, says senior adviser Rigmor Hartvedt at the Norwegian Health Authority. The Norwegian Health Authority has summarized the findings from the 70 Norwegian municipalities that have been surveyed. They believe the results give a good picture for the whole country. OPEN FOR DISCRETION: Hartvedt points out that it is not certain that all Nav offices must have the same opening hours. Several Nav offices have a bell that users can ring when the office is closed. If this is to be a good solution, it is crucial that the Nav office has a system that makes the door open and users come in and get help, she believes. Photo: Press photo / Norwegian Health Authority Precisely because Nav is to be society’s safety net, the Norwegian Health Authority believes it is particularly important that it should be possible for the individual to get in touch. That is not necessarily the case today, the report shows. In several smaller municipalities, the public reception is completely closed. In some places, it is only possible to call in via the Nav contact centre. In a report from 2021, the Norwegian Health Authority concluded that several conditions at the Nav contact center almost prevent people from getting help. – We still have a way to go. The report from the Norwegian Health Authority comes at a time when many people have difficult personal finances. Labor and Inclusion Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) takes the report from the Norwegian Health Authority seriously. She says the government is preoccupied with a strong safety net for those who need it most. – Those who need social services are often in difficult life situations, and for some the need is acute. It sets requirements for how the individual Nav office ensures availability. IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO GET CONTACT: – If the opening hours are limited to meetings without an agreement, the municipality must ensure in some other way that the users can take care of their need for help, says Minister for Employment and Inclusion Marte Mjøs Persen. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB It is stated in the Hurdal platform that the government will make Nav more accessible. The minister says that this work is underway. Among other things, the Directorate of Labor and Welfare has sent letters to all municipalities specifying that it should be possible to physically attend the NAV office, both with and without an agreement. The directorate has also asked the county directors of Nav to follow up on the question of opening hours in Nav offices going forward. Unclear what is “available enough” The individual municipality and Nav county decide the opening hours of the Nav office. When it comes to opening hours, there are no clear guidelines on what is “available enough”. But the Norwegian Health Authority is nevertheless clear in its conclusions. – There is a big risk that the users will not get the services they are entitled to at the right time, says Hartvedt. In particular, people who do not speak Norwegian, lack digital skills or have challenges with substance abuse or mental health may be at risk of not receiving good enough help. Nationwide survey of accessibility to social services in Nav 2020-2021 Photo: Screenshot / news On behalf of the Norwegian Health Authority, the state administrators examined accessibility to social services in Nav by attendance, by telephone and digitally in 70 municipalities. The survey was carried out in 2020 and 2021, and the report was published on 21 October 2022. The Norwegian Health Authority defines that the social services are available when people come into contact with someone at the Nav office who can help them. Main finding: Short opening hours at the Nav office. When attending the Nav office, you were most often met with a closed door. 49 out of 70 Nav offices were open six hours or less per week. 11 out of 70 Nav offices had completely closed public reception. Long waiting time on the phone. Inquiries are often forwarded from the NAV contact center to the relevant Nav office. These phones were rarely answered, and you received an SMS saying that you would be called. It could take several days to get in touch. Nav supervisors gave their direct number to the service recipients. This attempt to improve accessibility to discrimination. Collaborative partners helped people get in touch with Nav, and/or carried out tasks for which they believed Nav was responsible. This means that information about social services for citizens often does not come from Nav itself, and that other services are given more tasks. Digitization leads to better accessibility for many, but poorer accessibility for some. Some users cannot use the digital solutions due to language challenges, lack of digital competence and/or technical challenges. The report’s summary states (page 6): “Short opening hours and long waiting times on the phone pose a risk that the Nav office’s function as the last safety net does not work as intended. The Norwegian Health Authority takes a serious view that this leads to some users not getting help to cover basic needs such as money for food, electricity and housing, at the right time.” Source: Summary report from the Norwegian Health Authority, report 5/22, October 2022 The Norwegian Health Authority now makes recommendations to municipalities, directorates and ministries. Among other things, the inspectorate proposes that the opening hours at Nav offices should be evaluated. In addition, the municipalities are asked to take greater responsibility for answering telephone inquiries. – We will follow what happens next, concludes Hartvedt. Read the entire report here. Making it work Nav Vågå does not have an open public reception. They still think they have found solutions that work. Everyone who visits Nav is met in the municipality’s service square, says Nav manager in Vågå Magnhild Vole. There are always Nav employees at work to welcome those who are completely new to Nav, and to deal with urgent situations. – Then the service office contacts us, and then we make an assessment of whether we should set up an appointment or whether it is so urgent that we have to take it now. Nav Vågå has also made it easier to get in touch by being open about direct numbers, e-mail addresses and by being more present with cooperation partners. – We have thought that if we are going to close to random visitors, then it is important that those who will reach us experience us as accessible. PUBLIC RECEPTION CLOSED: On www.nav.no it is stated that the reception of Nav Vågå is closed. Hub manager Magnhild Vole says that visitors are well taken care of by the service square. Servicetorget is open Monday – Friday from 07.30 – 15.00. Photo: PRIVATE
ttn-69
The Norwegian Health Authority’s survey shows a high risk of someone not getting the right help they are entitled to in NAV – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
