Managerial Model of Buurtzorg

The Buurtzorg model is based on 6 principles:

• Have a holistic vision of care (healthcare and social) and fight fragmentation;
• Focus on the relationship (the relationship comes first and foremost, even before care: we have a coffee with the patient before performing the care). It is also about developing the network and relationships with the district partners: trade unions, Government, other health professionals;
• Favor the local scale: teams are free, in their environment, to find their own solutions (instead of giving them multiple indications and instructions);
• Free caregivers from administrative tasks (including billing);
• Implement tailor-made softwares (such as BuurtzorgWeb) that serve first line carers and are not at the service of managers by allowing the sharing of information, knowledge and communication;
• Define a basic level: the neighborhood, a geographical area of less than 10,000 inhabitants.

The French participants in the web conference organized by Dialog Health were able to exchange freely with Jos de Blok thanks to a simultaneous translation by professional interpreters. A discussion session with Sjoerd Groen, nurse in one of the Buurtzorg teams in Amsterdam, made it possible to understand how the decentralized antennas organize themselves in practice daily. The intervention of Guillaume Alsac, Ambassador of Buurtzorg in France, opened perspectives on the deployment of the model in the country. Indeed, home care services such as nursing homes are undertaking a trust and simplification process inspired by their Dutch colleagues to improve their organization for their patients and professionals.