Sunderby Hospital is in a state of emergency management and work is underway to make more care beds available. People without acute complaints are urged to first contact their health center or 1177 instead of visiting the emergency department, though people should always call 112 if they are in an acute emergency situation. Department 41 at Sunderby Hospital consists of the stroke unit and neurorehabilitation.
The stroke unit provides acute care and neurorehabilitation provides specialist rehabilitation. Stroke units that receive patients in need of acute care exist at all hospitals in the county, but neurorehabilitation that provides specialist rehabilitation exists only at Sunderby Hospital and has the entire county as its catchment area. Neurorehabilitation receives patients from the entire county and from Umeå.
A new way of working is emerging at Sunderby Hospital where collaboration, flexibility, and a holistic view of patient flow are central. By letting employees rotate between acute surgery, operation, and postoperative care, they want to create both better care and a more attractive workplace. The rotation initiative is led by unit managers Åsa Carlsson, Anna Andersson, Julia Halatchev, and Therese Enbom.
A clear benefit of the rotation is skills development. When a patient at Sunderby Hospital's intensive care unit is moved to a care department, the PIG group goes out. Post-intensive care groups (PIG) exist in several of the country's regions and are a development of the ProACT training concept originating in the UK.
The goal of PIG is to identify risk patients, improve recovery after intensive care, prevent complications, and reduce the risk of readmission to the ICU. From January to August 25, 2025, PIG made 150 follow-ups on 73 patients. Central operation can be described as a spider in the web, with anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, anesthesia nurses, and assistant nurses forming the backbone, and various clinics such as surgeons and orthopedists connecting for an operation.
Everything from stomach and intestinal operations to jaw operations is performed in central operation.