On 25 June, the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services officially launched a new National Brain Health Strategy. The strategy will be in effect from 2026 to 2036, reflecting a long-term commitment to strengthening brain health across the life course. Below is a translated overview of the strategy’s main objectives, providing insight into its strategic direction for the next ten years:

3.1 Good brain health throughout life – health promotion, prevention and management

3.1.1 A brain-friendly society

  • Strengthen the knowledge base on key measures to promote brain health and prevent brain disorders at both individual and societal levels
  • Reinforce efforts targeting risk factors for non-communicable diseases
  • Prevent and reduce loneliness

3.1.2 Increased knowledge and health literacy

  • Increase public awareness of brain health
  • Promote understanding of how individuals can maintain their own brain health
  • Improve knowledge of prevention of brain disorders
  • Adapt information to patients and strengthen health literacy

3.1.3 A brain-friendly start in life

  • Safeguard brain health in pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal care
  • Increase parental knowledge about infant and child brain health

3.2 Good care pathways – from symptom to diagnosis, treatment, habilitation and rehabilitation

3.2.1 Timely assessment and accurate diagnosis

  • Update national clinical guidelines in line with new knowledge, introduce new methods, and clarify responsibilities

3.2.3 Equal access to interdisciplinary, evidence-based specialized rehabilitation

  • Ensure early and intensive rehabilitation as standard practice for stroke and other acute brain conditions
  • Use technology to increase intensity and access to diagnosis and treatment
  • Reduce unwarranted variation in access to services

3.3 Increased knowledge and quality in services through research, innovation and collaboration with industry

3.3.1 Better access to data

  • Provide faster and easier access to health data
  • Improve coverage and data quality in national medical quality registries
  • Strengthen performance on quality indicators

3.3.2 Norway as a leading actor in research and innovation

  • Establish a national brain research hub involving academia, health services, user organisations and industry
  • Contribute to the national action plan for clinical research, aiming to double clinical research by 2036
  • Support strong performance of Norwegian researchers nationally and internationally

3.4 More user-centred services and better support for caregivers

3.4.1 Improved collaboration across sectors

  • Increase knowledge in services about specific needs linked to brain disorders
  • Develop better support for individuals and caregivers, including municipal and voluntary sector involvement

3.4.2 Tools for participation and shared decision-making

  • Develop welfare technology to support prevention, treatment and follow-up
  • Expand shared decision-making tools across diagnostic groups
  • Strengthen digital solutions for collaboration between services and users

3.4.3 Support for caregivers

  • Provide strong support and follow-up for caregivers
  • Ensure accessible and tailored information
  • Increase use of caregiver agreements
  • Implement national guidance on caregiver support