What a good application really means for healthcare in Dutch Amstelland

Amstelveen region welcomes ‘Single Point of Access for District Nursing’

‘The Enovation Transfer & Zorgdomein* link is live and the first requests are already coming in – how exciting!’ We recently received that enthusiastic message from ICT Service manager Natasja van der Winden of Sigra, one of Enovation’s partner organisations. She is delighted with the new link because she knows how much it will help healthcare providers in the region, for example in the Amstelland area.

At the kick off of project POINT Amstelland in 2024 caretakers write down their wishes.

In Amstelveen and the surrounding area, three organisations are working together on the ‘Single Point of Access for District Nursing’ programme. As a result, new clients can be registered for district care by GPs, hospitals, as well as relatives of the client. This is done through one central point, where Enovation’s Transfer application acts as the digital hub. It allows healthcare professionals to securely and quickly exchange files with each other, while district organisations coordinate among themselves who can admit which patient to care. This saves healthcare providers time, reduces administrative burden and the client receives help faster.

1.       GPs register via Zorgdomein

The link, which is what prompted this article, is actually the link from Zorgdomein to Enovation Transfer. In an article on the Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland website, GP Els Licht explains the concept clearly. ‘We have always maintained close communication with district care, but finding an organisation with availability for a client often proved to be a challenge. Normally, I would call a whole list of organisations looking for available people. It was quite a task to coordinate this and it took a lot of time. The way we have organised it now is fantastic!’

2.       Hospitals register via Enovation Transfer

Hospitals can register patients who are being discharged and can continue receiving care at home directly via Enovation Transfer. All essential data is stored in the application, so all medical information is available at the coordination point.

3.       Informal caregivers register via the website

It is even possible for informal caregivers (such as relatives or other loved ones) to register a client for home or district care. This is then done through a public website, which again is linked in Enovation Transfer. Previously, this had to be done by phone, but now it can simply be done online. An example of this feature is used at the Dutch Wijkzorg055.

Result: a single point of access

The current application process is as follows. The systems of healthcare organisations Brentano, Zonnehuisgroep Amstelland and Amstelring are linked to Enovation Transfer. Requests from GPs and hospitals wanting to register clients for district care are received directly at that central point, while registrations from informal caregivers are recorded in the system. Every day at half past one, the three district care organisations consult together regarding clients and decide who can provide the best care for which client. That way, you maintain control over their care.

‘Previously, clients were referred by GPs and hospitals based on their networks,’ says Amstelring district nurse Isa Hemert. ‘As a result, the relationship you had with each other was the determining factor. Now we look at capacity in each organisation. As a district nurse, that also makes you feel less guilty if you have to turn away a client, because there is often a safety net.’

Benefits

Although some healthcare providers needed time to adjust to using the new system, the benefits are clearly being acknowledged. The application is designed for transfer and capacity management, but of course not all patients who are registered can actually be admitted if there are no beds. ‘However, it’s great that the requests are now being dealt with by three organisations, so that the burden of care is shared more evenly,’ says district nurse Nicole Moers. ‘And the fact that people can also register someone themselves is a nice plus – a neighbour, concerned children or informal caregivers. What I’m already experiencing as a positive aspect is the direct line of communication with the hospital or GP that Enovatiopn Transfer provides.’

The human touch

What is important to mention is that a good application is of course great, but its effectiveness depends entirely on the agreements people make about its use. This is something Natasja van der Winden of Sigra always emphasises. ‘The Enovation Transfer application provides a lot of insight, but 80-90 percent of it is about the collaborative arrangements that healthcare providers make. The related policy determines how it works in practice.’

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*ZorgDomein is an independent digital system that helps healthcare providers find, choose and arrange care.