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Health care can be better.
Must be better.
Will be better.

Health care can be better.
Must be better.
Will be better.

This is our joint promise. To everyone who requires care. And to everyone who will in the future. But it’s also a promise to ourselves and everyone willing and able to contribute to a more community-based care system. From caring for people to caring about each other? This is our aspiration, and we warmly invite everyone to join us in this endeavor.

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What is an ecosystem?

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open me

discover
our vision

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where to / what for

whereto/wherefore

From a care system to a caring community: small-scale, person-centered, and rooted in the neighborhood.
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from near
to far

Why care became increasingly less personal and more fragmented.
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open me

from far
to near

How care can (and will!) become familiar and human again.
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open me

This is how
it gets better

This is how
it gets better

A healthy, self-sufficient ecosystem does not arise spontaneously. It requires a carefully formulated approach, targeted interventions, and above all: a healthy dose of patience and courage. But the urgency of the care crisis forced us to act quickly. And so we did. Currently, 20 neighbourhoods are in transition to thriving ecosystems. This is how we do it:

five themes for building communities

Heartfelt community care. This is what we’ve set out to create and cherish. From top-down and procedure-driven to small-scale, simple, and integrated. And most importantly: focused on people and their networks. And because we’re building a community, not a bureaucracy, our relationships are based on openness, trust, and a sense of connection.

five themes for building communities

Heartfelt community care. This is what we’ve set out to create and cherish. From top-down and procedure-driven to small-scale, simple, and integrated. And most importantly: focused on people and their networks. And because we’re building a community, not a bureaucracy, our relationships are based on openness, trust, and a sense of connection.

locally focused, nationally connected

The Neighbourhood as an Ecosystem aims to inspire a national ‘neighbourhood society’. We are building a network of neighbourhoods that strengthen each other. Each with its own character, but united by a shared approach. This way, we make successes measurable, learnings shareable, and impact scalable. The five themes form the foundation. The local interpretation determines the success.

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the journey so far, and where we are headed

The community as ecosystem is a young initiative. But one with deep roots. In history and in the social environment. Since our start in 2024, 20 enthusiastic neighbourhoods have already joined. And that number continues to grow…

already

participating neighbourhoods
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2027

participating neighbourhoods
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2029

participating neighbourhoods
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in participating neighbourhoods

less district nursing per year
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in participating neighbourhoods

less healthcare use in hospitals and with general practitioners
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with nationwide scaling

fewer healthcare professionals will be needed
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from start
to impact:
the three phases

from start
to impact:
the three phases

The art of change lies in its pace. Going too fast erodes support. Going too slow stalls the momentum. Our approach is therefore structured, but flexible in execution.

1

the
foundation

Every successful community network starts with the right people. An alliance partner champions the project and appoints a coordinator and driving force from district nursing. Together, they put the project on the map. A second driving force is also appointed, for example from the social services sector or the municipality. Together, they recruit local ambassadors – professionals and residents with a strong local network. They form the community network together.

2

the
community plan

With the community network complete, the analysis phase begins. What characterizes this neighbourhood? What are the biggest challenges? Which informal networks and initiatives already exist? How can we connect with them? And most importantly: what works here, and what doesn’t? These insights form the basis for the community plan. A standard approach with activities per theme is available for the neighbourhoods. A plan that looks beyond just care. That builds bridges between the medical and social domains, between formal and informal networks. That sets concrete goals and makes clear choices. And that secures funding with a sound budget.

3

phased
implementation

Then the real work begins. The community network chooses a number of quick wins to quickly generate energy. In parallel, the long-term initiatives run. Of course, all activities are measurable. The community network evaluates, adjusts, and shares knowledge with other communities in the network. This way, best practices with demonstrable impact are developed, which form the basis for scaling up and for the development of national standards for district nursing. Ultimately, these standards must be included in training programs, so that we structurally embed changes!

governance
that works

Traditional governance is like a straitjacket: tight, uncomfortable, and hierarchical. This often limits the speed of action! The Community as an Ecosystem chooses a different form. Light but effective. Supportive instead of controlling. A rhythm that strengthens the movement instead of slowing it down. This is what it looks like:

this is our governance structure

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smart data, smartly used

Measuring is only meaningful if it makes you wiser. If it helps you do things just a little better tomorrow than today. We look at data on multiple levels. Hard figures tell us what is happening: how many residents participate, which interventions are used, and what is the impact on healthcare utilization? The stories behind them tell us why it is happening: how people experience health, what helps or hinders them. And the social map shows how it all connects: which networks are growing, where new connections are emerging, and where they still need to be stimulated.

sharing fairly

What we learn, we share. With other neighbourhoods in the network, so that national standards can be developed together. With training programs that shape the professionals of tomorrow. With policymakers who contemplate the frameworks of the day after tomorrow. This way, every measurement becomes a lesson. Every insight becomes a step forward. And every neighbourhood becomes a living laboratory for better care.

(?) Onze focus:

  • (?) Data zorggebruik: inclusie, ingezette interventies, gebruik
  • (?) Ervaringsverhalen: interviews, vragenlijsten
  • (?) Netwerkanalyse: nieuwe verbindingen, participatie

Curious how a 'neighborhood ecosystem' works in practice?

And, more importantly, what does it all achieve? This is how Haarlem approaches it! (site in Dutch only)

read more
read more

Want to know more about this initiative?
Questions or suggestions?

email us
email us

Just as plants, animals, and organisms coexist r and strengthen each other, so too does it work in a healthy community. Everyone has a role: residents, care providers, volunteers, and informal caregivers. They know each other, help each other, and empower one another. Together, they form a network where health and well-being can flourish. That is what we mean by an ecosystem: a living whole that sustains and strengthens itself.

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Whereto

/

Wherefore

“Bringing healthcare closer to home may not be a giant leap for mankind. But each small step adds up. For everone in need of care. In, with and for every community.”

Aging population. Staff shortages. Exploding costs. Healthcare seems to have reached a road to nowhere. And existing solutions – more money, more people, more processes, more technology, more coordination – are failing. Fortunately, this predicament inspires brave choices. Moreover, we are happy to say goodbye. To management thinking that limits independence. To task-oriented approaches that reduce people to process steps. To spreadsheets that seem more important than the stories behind them. They have brought us to where we are now. Thank you, but this is not where we want to be.

So we roll out the red carpet for something else: community care. Small-scale where possible. Professional where necessary. With care professionals who support rather than take over. Who work from expertise and autonomy. With a mix of best practices from previous decades and today’s technology. We focus on care that is not imposed from above, but grows from below. Based on belief in the power of people and the ecosystems they form. This way we ensure that neighborhoods once again become the beating heart of health and well-being.

Close

from near to far

Care was once organized locally. General practitioners, district nursing, and social work collaborated. The goal was to keep people healthy and to work towards making themselves redundant by activating the community.And it worked, primarily thanks to local embeddedness. But in the late ‘80s, a turning point occurred. District nursing had to become ‘a measurable product.’ Or rather: a collection of measurable products. Washing, bandaging wounds, administering medication: these became individual tasks. For individual professionals. Who had to be managed, controlled, and assessed. Often not on-site, but ‘remotely,’ as in a hospital.

Close

from far to near

We opt for a positive approach to health and want to give people back control over their own health. We do not see ourselves as problem solvers, but as facilitators, providing tools with which patients – together with their environment – can work towards a better quality of life. This means that, where possible, we withdraw and actively engage communities. So that care no longer always has to come from afar, but is brought ever closer. By people who know the community. For people they know from the community. ‘70s care. In a modern style. Just like our logo.
Close

this is our governance structure

Close

Just as plants, animals, and organisms coexist r and strengthen each other, so too does it work in a healthy community. Everyone has a role: residents, care providers, volunteers, and informal caregivers. They know each other, help each other, and empower one another. Together, they form a network where health and well-being can flourish. That is what we mean by an ecosystem: a living whole that sustains and strengthens itself.

Close

Whereto

/

Wherefore

“Bringing healthcare closer to home may not be a giant leap for mankind. But each small step adds up. For everone in need of care. In, with and for every community.”

Aging population. Staff shortages. Exploding costs. Healthcare seems to have reached a road to nowhere. And existing solutions – more money, more people, more processes, more technology, more coordination – are failing. Fortunately, this predicament inspires brave choices. Moreover, we are happy to say goodbye. To management thinking that limits independence. To task-oriented approaches that reduce people to process steps. To spreadsheets that seem more important than the stories behind them. They have brought us to where we are now. Thank you, but this is not where we want to be.

So we roll out the red carpet for something else: community care. Small-scale where possible. Professional where necessary. With care professionals who support rather than take over. Who work from expertise and autonomy. With a mix of best practices from previous decades and today’s technology. We focus on care that is not imposed from above, but grows from below. Based on belief in the power of people and the ecosystems they form. This way we ensure that neighborhoods once again become the beating heart of health and well-being.

Close

from near to far

Care was once organized locally. General practitioners, district nursing, and social work collaborated. The goal was to keep people healthy and to work towards making themselves redundant by activating the community.And it worked, primarily thanks to local embeddedness. But in the late ‘80s, a turning point occurred. District nursing had to become ‘a measurable product.’ Or rather: a collection of measurable products. Washing, bandaging wounds, administering medication: these became individual tasks. For individual professionals. Who had to be managed, controlled, and assessed. Often not on-site, but ‘remotely,’ as in a hospital.

Close

from far to near

We opt for a positive approach to health and want to give people back control over their own health. We do not see ourselves as problem solvers, but as facilitators, providing tools with which patients – together with their environment – can work towards a better quality of life. This means that, where possible, we withdraw and actively engage communities. So that care no longer always has to come from afar, but is brought ever closer. By people who know the community. For people they know from the community. ‘70s care. In a modern style. Just like our logo.
Close

this is our governance structure

Close