(Note 1) The Veneto welfare model, defined over the last twenty years by regional legislation
(Note 2), is characterised by the integration of social and healthcare policies and by the integration of activities conducted by public and private bodies within and beyond municipalities.
Social and healthcare integration is achieved through a system of social services and highly integrated social healthcare services, by their unitary management in areas covered by Local Health Authorities (Ulss) and through the municipalities' delegation of the management of services to these Local Health Authorities. Alternative agreements may also be drawn up by the interested bodies.
A model has been created by which the Local Health Authority manages:
- healthcare;
- social healthcare highly integrated with healthcare, which focus on therapy and intensive healthcare. These services mainly concern mothers and babies, the elderly, disabilities, psychiatric conditions, addiction to drugs, alcohol and medicines, as well as illness caused by HIV, terminal illness, and disabilities caused by chronic degenerative diseases;
- healthcare of social significance, including services aiming to promote health, as well as the prevention, identification, removal and containment of degeneration or invalidation caused by congenital or acquired illness.
Municipalities have the task of managing mainly social forms of care and forms of social healthcare. These include all the activities of the social system that aim to support persons in need, those with problems of disability or marginalisation caused by health conditions. The latter are delegated to the Local Health Authorities by municipalities in accordance with legislation.
The Veneto model is characterised by the delegation of management of some aspects of social healthcare to Local Health Authorities. Municipalities can choose to confer the management of all of the remaining social healthcare matters to Local Health Authorities.
Integration is also achieved by involving the tertiary sector in local planning processes and in the management of services, and by inviting private bodies to collaborate and participate in the management of regional social healthcare and in the delivery of services.
