1. Summary in English

The County Governors and the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision have conducted a survey as part of the nationwide supervision concerning the safeguarding of basic needs among elderly people living at home. The survey is one of several supervisory activities being carried out during 2025 and 2026.

The survey focuses on the extent to which municipalities assess, set goals, implement measures, monitor patients' health status, and follow up on deterioration with necessary healthcare assistance. The responses provide supervisory authorities with a snapshot of how municipalities assess their own practices.

The findings show that there is a risk that deterioration in health and functional status is not detected in time. The risk is associated with the following areas:

• Inadequate assessment in important areas
• Many action plans lack important content
• Relatives are involved to too small an extent
• There is not always sufficient nursing competence
• Lack of competence can lead to late detection of deterioration
• Limited information from general practitioners

As the next step in supervising the municipalities’ safeguarding of basic needs among elderly living at home, the County Governors will conduct system audits in a selection of municipalities.