CARE-Lab – a platform for data-driven reform of the Swedish welfare system

The Swedish healthcare system is of high quality but is characterised by inequality, persistent waiting lists, poor cost control and reforms that are often implemented without a sufficiently holistic approach. At the same time, there is a wealth of health data and a high level of research expertise.

We are now establishing CARE-Lab – an independent, cross-sectoral platform where various stakeholders collaborate to improve the system. With support from VINNOVA and SustainGov, we are bringing together government agencies, regions, local authorities, academia, civil society and patients to jointly identify and prioritise the most important systemic needs. CARE-Lab’s vision is:

A cohesive and adaptive welfare system – with a focus on health, healthcare and social care – where governance and organisation are continuously developed through integrated, real-world data and collaboration across organisational boundaries.

CARE-Lab turns the traditional logic of research-driven development on its head. The work is based on jointly identified needs and societal challenges rather than individual research questions. The academic community contributes analysis and knowledge support in accordance with scientific principles to develop and evaluate policy changes.

By combining the experiences of stakeholders with real-world data, CARE-Lab creates the conditions for advanced systems analysis and simulation, where reform proposals are developed and tested before being implemented. The platform integrates several areas of expertise – law (UU), health economics (LU), governance (GU), quality engineering (MiU), health innovation and implementation (HH), transformation of complex systems (Chalmers, HV) and technical infrastructure – with a focus on structural change and scalable solutions.

Within the framework of CARE-Lab, shared needs are identified, analysed and addressed in a legally sound manner. Initiatives are launched within existing operations, and their effects are monitored and evaluated at the system level. At the heart of this work lies data from real-world healthcare processes – information-driven care – made possible by Region Halland and Halmstad University’s long-term work on compiling and analysing healthcare and administrative data.