The Healthy Groningen regional plan was published a few months ago. Nearly forty organizations from healthcare, welfare, education, knowledge institutions, municipalities in the province of Groningen and Menzis have jointly drawn up a plan to collaborate in the field of healthcare and to improve health for residents. The aim is to bring healthcare, health, welfare, sport and exercise closer together, with the health of all Groningen residents central. The Ommelander hospital is one of the participants.
The regional plan has been developed on the basis of the regional picture drawn up in the context of the Integrated Care Agreement (IZA). In mid-January, all 53 regions in the Netherlands presented their regional plans. The regional plans have been drawn up for a period of three years, based on criteria that the IZA parties have drawn up together. Over the past year, parties in the region have identified the bottlenecks and devised solutions. According to those involved, the regional plans are an important milestone on the road to sustainable care and welfare. In the coming years, the parties will work together to implement the plans.
The joint approach described in the Healthy Groningen regional plan aims to improve the health of the residents of Groningen and prevent healthcare from coming to a standstill in the future. Reducing health differences is a spearhead. The participating organizations are united in the ‘Healthy Groningen’ network.
Keeping care accessible
The Ommelander Hospital is one of those participating organizations. Bas Wallis de Vries, chairman of the board of directors, says: “Together we must guarantee the accessibility of care. This is only possible if we do things differently, such as organizing healthcare more intelligently and working together much more. We see that the healthcare landscape is changing enormously. We contribute to this. We are part of various partnerships, such as Beweegzorg Noord and Hartnet.”
For patients, the closer collaboration means that they can receive common specialist medical care at the Ommelander Hospital, top clinical specialist medical care at the Martini Hospital and the most complex specialist medical care at the UMCG. The right care in the right place. Bas Wallis de Vries: “And we no longer only focus on making patients better, but also on encouraging a healthier lifestyle and preventing disease. In this way we shorten waiting times and keep care accessible, so that our patients will continue to receive high-quality care in the future.”
Measurable goals
Some regions have already expressed their aspirations through measurable goals, for example: ‘All residents ten extra healthy years of life by 2040’. The Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) has also formulated objectives in the field of staff shortages with measurable goals: ‘Solving the staff shortage of 5,700 in 2040’. But the NZa still sees room for improvement. She believes it is important that tasks and responsibilities are described and assigned more explicitly.
According to the NZa, there should also be a work agenda specifying the milestones for the coming months and years. Some regions already have such a milestone agenda, but according to the NZa this could also happen in more regions.
