All parties in Region Nordjylland have agreed on a budget for next year that adds 307 million kroner to the region’s health spending, with a stated focus on cutting record waiting times in child and youth psychiatry.
The agreement was presented on Tuesday evening by regional council chairman Mads Duedahl of Venstre, who has held the post since 2022. As DR reports, every party in the regional council backed the deal.
Duedahl described the result as close to a historically good agreement. According to his account to DR, he is not aware of more money ever having been allocated to the North Jutland health sector. The parties agreed to add 307 million kroner to the health budget for the coming year.
The politicians point to three main areas. These are shorter waiting lists in child and youth psychiatry, more staff at pressured hospitals, and more general practitioners close to residents. Duedahl told DR that contact with the North Jutland health system should be a better experience over the next year.
Longest psychiatric waiting time in Denmark
Figures from Sundhedsdatastyrelsen, the Danish Health Data Authority, show that children and young people in North Jutland waited an average of 228 days for psychiatric assessment in the first quarter of 2026. That was the highest average waiting time of any region in the country. The budget sets aside funds specifically to bring that figure down.
Asked whether money alone can solve a problem tied to staffing, Duedahl said the region is sending 10 million kroner to the municipalities. The aim, per his explanation to DR, is that children in difficulty can get help locally and avoid entering the psychiatric system.
Lene Linnemann of SF, chair of the region’s psychiatry committee, said she is relieved that a total of 52 million kroner has been set aside for the psychiatric area next year. She told DR that the region has never been close to that amount before. She added that the money does not solve everything, but creates more options.
Linnemann declined to put a number on how far waiting times will fall over the coming year. She noted that far more children and young people are being referred than previously. According to her, it is not known whether that trend will continue.
Region Nordjylland is one of Denmark’s five regions and is responsible for hospitals, psychiatry, and general practice in the northern part of the country. The budget agreement covers the 2027 financial year. It was reached by all parties represented in the regional council.
Further detail on how the 307 million kroner will be distributed across hospitals, general practice, and psychiatry was not specified in the presentation reported by DR. The region’s own waiting time figures come from Sundhedsdatastyrelsen. Youth mental health spending accounts for 52 million kroner of the total.
