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North Savo wellbeing services county is among the first to adopt Saga Social Care

The wellbeing services county of North Savo (PSHVA) is gradually implementing the Saga Social Care customer information system, developed by Finnish information system provider Mediconsult. The rollout began with a pilot in Shelter services on May 20, 2025, and the system will be in use across all social care services by the end of November, as planned.

For wellbeing services counties, this is not just the adoption of a new system — it marks a significant shift in social care data management and operational models. The change will standardize documentation practices among social welfare professionals across Finland. It is driven by new national requirements for social care data management, such as the updated Client Data Act, as well as the broader goal of harmonizing social care operations across the counties.

– I'm pleased that we at the North Savo wellbeing services county have launched a production pilot of Saga in Shelter services. Our goal is to replace three legacy systems inherited from municipalities with Saga during 2025. The system rollout is about a year and a half behind the original schedule. The project timeline had to be very tight, as social care was initially expected to join the Kanta services in September 2024. When Parliament granted a two-year extension, it gave us the opportunity to reassess the schedule. Together with Mediconsult and Istekki, we’ve done pioneering work in aligning national requirements, the needs of wellbeing services counties, and the system’s capabilities, says Chief Information Officer Tuomo Pekkarinen. 

The implementation of the regional information system is built on partnership and a shared commitment

In 2023, Istekki, a publicly owned in-house company of the wellbeing services counties, organized a procurement process for a social care customer information system for the wellbeing services counties of North Savo and Pirkanmaa. As part of the process, Istekki conducted a broad assessment of the needs and requirements for renewing and consolidating social care information systems, in close collaboration with social and healthcare professionals. The selected system was Mediconsult’s Saga Social Care, which offered the best value for money.

– Implementing a new information system is always a demanding task — especially in a situation where requirements for social care data management and the new operating models of wellbeing services counties are still taking shape. We are now seeing the first system deployments as PSHVA rolls out the Saga system during this year. Close collaboration based on partnership and shared commitment between PSHVA and Mediconsult experts has brought us to this point, says the Business Director of Istekki Merja Liemola. 

The introduction of the new customer information system brings benefits to both professionals and residents

The Saga Social Care customer information system, selected by five wellbeing services counties —including three university hospital regions — is a frontrunner in meeting national requirements. As a Kanta-certified system, it introduces standardized documentation models, harmonized operational practices, and comprehensive data-driven management tools for county leadership. It also ensures a consistent user experience for social care professionals across all service units and functions.

With Saga Social Care, information can be transferred broadly and in real time, making it easily accessible to professionals across different units — including between social and healthcare services. Timely access to information enables professionals to better support residents’ wellbeing. Residents can also view their social care data in OmaKanta, just like their healthcare records.

– We’ve come a long and insightful journey together with our clients. I’m delighted that we can now deliver on our promise and provide the Saga system for use by North Savo’s social care and healthcare professionals. Saga is a sustainable choice that adapts to the diverse and evolving needs of social care organizations and professionals over time, says the CEO of Mediconsult Tommi Salaspuro.

The wellbeing services county of North Savo (PSHVA) is gradually implementing the Saga Social Care customer information system, developed by Finnish information system provider Mediconsult. The rollout began with a pilot in Shelter services on May 20, 2025, and the system will be in use across all social care services by the end of November, as planned.

For wellbeing services counties, this is not just the adoption of a new system — it marks a significant shift in social care data management and operational models. The change will standardize documentation practices among social welfare professionals across Finland. It is driven by new national requirements for social care data management, such as the updated Client Data Act, as well as the broader goal of harmonizing social care operations across the counties.

– I'm pleased that we at the North Savo wellbeing services county have launched a production pilot of Saga in Shelter services. Our goal is to replace three legacy systems inherited from municipalities with Saga during 2025. The system rollout is about a year and a half behind the original schedule. The project timeline had to be very tight, as social care was initially expected to join the Kanta services in September 2024. When Parliament granted a two-year extension, it gave us the opportunity to reassess the schedule. Together with Mediconsult and Istekki, we’ve done pioneering work in aligning national requirements, the needs of wellbeing services counties, and the system’s capabilities, says Chief Information Officer Tuomo Pekkarinen. 

The implementation of the regional information system is built on partnership and a shared commitment

In 2023, Istekki, a publicly owned in-house company of the wellbeing services counties, organized a procurement process for a social care customer information system for the wellbeing services counties of North Savo and Pirkanmaa. As part of the process, Istekki conducted a broad assessment of the needs and requirements for renewing and consolidating social care information systems, in close collaboration with social and healthcare professionals. The selected system was Mediconsult’s Saga Social Care, which offered the best value for money.

– Implementing a new information system is always a demanding task — especially in a situation where requirements for social care data management and the new operating models of wellbeing services counties are still taking shape. We are now seeing the first system deployments as PSHVA rolls out the Saga system during this year. Close collaboration based on partnership and shared commitment between PSHVA and Mediconsult experts has brought us to this point, says the Business Director of Istekki Merja Liemola. 

The introduction of the new customer information system brings benefits to both professionals and residents

The Saga Social Care customer information system, selected by five wellbeing services counties —including three university hospital regions — is a frontrunner in meeting national requirements. As a Kanta-certified system, it introduces standardized documentation models, harmonized operational practices, and comprehensive data-driven management tools for county leadership. It also ensures a consistent user experience for social care professionals across all service units and functions.

With Saga Social Care, information can be transferred broadly and in real time, making it easily accessible to professionals across different units — including between social and healthcare services. Timely access to information enables professionals to better support residents’ wellbeing. Residents can also view their social care data in OmaKanta, just like their healthcare records.

– We’ve come a long and insightful journey together with our clients. I’m delighted that we can now deliver on our promise and provide the Saga system for use by North Savo’s social care and healthcare professionals. Saga is a sustainable choice that adapts to the diverse and evolving needs of social care organizations and professionals over time, says the CEO of Mediconsult Tommi Salaspuro.
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