Abstract

In late 2022, the Comprehensive Care Agreement (IZA) was signed to keep care effective, accessible and affordable. To that end, the organisations involved agreed, among other things, to expand their regional cooperation. This applies not only to different components of the care system, such as GP care, hospitals and home care, but also to cooperation between medical care and care and support provided by the municipality (the social domain). The goals include cutting waiting times, preventing unnecessary care and reducing costs.

From 2023 to 2027, for the benefit of the IZA, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is annually monitoring the development of cooperation. It does so by measuring factors that are important to successful cooperation, such as funding, confidence and the perceived effects. The IZA measurement for 2024 has revealed that efforts are being made towards the goal of greater cooperation. For example, within regions, care facilities and the social domain have made agreements to that end.

An examination of the partnerships themselves has revealed that the changes in 2024 were mostly strategic and related to policy. For example, to what end the organisations cooperate and how the cooperation has been organised. Just like in 2023, the programme managers of the partnerships had a positive experience based on confidence in each other's abilities and the leadership of the partnership.

Some factors had a lower score compared to the IZA measurements for 2023. For example, fewer agreements were made on joint funding, and residents and patients were less involved in administrative decisions in the partnerships. As was the case in 2023, programme managers noticed little change within participating organisations in matters such as care and support offered.

It is also striking that cross-domain partnerships involving a wide variety of organisations adopted a different way of working. They often came up with efficient constructions for making decisions on behalf of all organisations.

In a general sense, RIVM would like to stress that major change processes in care take a long time. That is why it is important to continue this development. This means giving the regions the time to build the cooperation, create confidence and work towards achieving goals together.