Digital support county pilots

The digital support county pilots are part of the implementation of the national digital support operating model. The digital support operating model describes how the availability of digital support can be organised in Finland so that it reaches those people who do not know how or unable to use digital services. 

During the pilot period, the practical application of the digital support operating model will be tested, and based on observations made it will be further developed.

Piloting will start in five regions in autumn 2018

Digital support county pilots will start in autumn 2018 together with the Hospital District of Lapland and the Regional Councils in Uusimaa, Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia.

The call for applications for the pilots was open from 5 April to 8 May 2018. Altogether ten applications were submitted. The selected pilots form a geographically versatile, comprehensive package where the pilot projects complement each other functionally. The regions taking part in the pilots have a combined population of some 2.6 million. This means that the pilots will reach nearly half of all Finns.

The pilots aim to achieve the following objectives

• Create digital support networks in pilot counties, which will be able to respond to the digital support needs of different types of customers.

• To accumulate information on the need for and provision of digital support regionally and develop the availability of digital support in the piloted areas.

• The Population Register Centre and the parties realising the pilots are working together to develop support structures (training, methods and information) which will make it possible to provide digital support comprehensively throughout the country. The Population Register Centre bears responsibility for this.

• Pilot actors carry out self-assessments according to the principles of continuous improvement. The Population Register Centre and parties responsible for pilots will together develop the principles for the assessment of digital support on the basis of which digital support can be assessed consistently in all parts of Finland.  The Population Register Centre bears responsibility for the latter of these.

• On the basis of experiences gained from the pilot, the digital support operating model will be further developed so that the roles (Population Register Centre, county, digital support providers) and responsibilities in the model are clear and effective. Based on the results and experiences of the pilots, the Population Register Centre and the Ministry of Finance will assess the regional development and coordination role.

The actor responsible for realising the pilot is tasked with

• forming a regional digital support network utilising the forms of digital support already available in municipalities and launching new ones

• communicating on regional digital support so that those customers who need it will be able to digital support

• assessing the need for and availability of digital support

• doing their part to develop the national digital support operating model.