Long-term care and its regulatory context in Switzerland

Care, and especially long-term care, has a long tradition in Switzerland. The first hospices were founded more than 750 years ago and historical documents have revealed that early hospices, which also included care for the aged, were run by monasteries. Over time communities (cities) became responsible for the organization and staffing of such institutions. For example, the Vadiana Library in the city of St Gallen has a well-documented collection of logbooks and financial reports dating back to the mid-sixteenth century that include recommendations for structuring care, such as the number of nursing staff, salaries and food, which can be seen as a very early measure of quality control.

As in many other countries, the Swiss long-term care sector has grown continuously in the last few decades. Between 1995 and 2009, when new legislation was implemented (Federal Health Insurance Regulation Act / Krankenversicherungsgesetz (KVG), 1994) that substantially increased the contribution of national public insurance to financing of both health and long-term care, the cost of long-term care (nursing home and home care) rose by 88 per cent, more than the increase for total healthcare costs (71 per cent) (Bundesamt für Statistik, 2012).