A Revolutionary Home Care Model from the Netherlands

In 2006, Jos de Blok, the visionary founder and CEO of Buurtzorg, embarked on a mission to revolutionize home-based health care and community nursing in the Netherlands.

Starting with just four nurses, Buurtzorg has grown to over 15,000 employees, serving more than 80,000 patients annually worldwide. Jos de Blok, a former community nurse with a background in economics, created Buurtzorg after witnessing the disconnect between management and frontline healthcare.

Buurtzorg is a Dutch home care organization that has transformed the field of community nursing with its innovative approach. Emphasizing a holistic integration of health and social care, Buurtzorg focuses on personal relationships and empowering local, self-managed teams. This model reduces administrative burdens, promotes trust and responsibility, and prioritizes community-based solutions. By fostering a sense of ownership among caregivers and leveraging tailored technology, Buurtzorg has achieved high levels of patient and staff satisfaction while driving cost efficiencies and improving healthcare outcomes.

Buurtzorg's approach includes:

• Adopting a holistic view of care (health and social) and combating fragmentation.
• Focusing on relationships (relationship comes first, including care: having a coffee with the patient before providing care). It also involves developing networks and relationships with local partners: unions, government, other healthcare professionals.
• Prioritizing the local scale, where teams are free to find their own solutions within their environment (instead of being given multiple instructions and directives).
• Freeing caregivers from administrative tasks (notably billing).
• Implementing custom software (Buurtzorgweb) that serves the field caregivers, not the managers, by enabling the sharing of information, knowledge, and communication.
• Defining a basic unit: the neighborhood, a geographical area with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

Learning and Expansion:

At the 2024 Impact Day, Jos de Blok emphasized the importance of sustainability in all aspects of life, sharing how Buurtzorg’s model reduces costs and improves outcomes through community-based care. Jos also highlighted the role of active communities in modern life. By empowering neighborhoods, Buurtzorg taps into the collective potential of people to support each other and develop innovative solutions.

Community Impact:
Jos's plan, "Neighborhoods and Ecosystems," seeks to harness the power of local communities to address needs holistically. This approach, which includes primary healthcare and prevention, envisions communities as ecosystems fostering health and well-being.

Sustainability and Vision:
Jos advocates for integration across health, food, and environment to create sustainable solutions. He challenges the idea of specialization for efficiency, emphasizing prevention and holistic care to reduce problems. He also envisions a future where healthier lifestyles and environments reduce the need for extensive care, even in an aging population.

Conclusion:
Jos de Blok’s Buurtzorg model has not only transformed community nursing in the Netherlands but also inspired similar approaches globally. His focus on trust, responsibility, and holistic care continues to drive innovations in healthcare delivery, challenging traditional models and emphasizing the power of community.