Prevention in Integrated Care Agreement, a good start
The Integral Care Agreement (IZA) was signed on Friday 16 September. An agreement that should give direction to healthcare for years to come. Not only the cure (treatment) and the care (care), but also prevention is part of the IZA. After all, prevention is of great importance for the health of all people in the Netherlands. GGD GHOR Nederland is pleased that this time there is also attention for prevention in the agreement. Direct integration of the most important partner in prevention (GGD) when the agreement was reached would have been logical and is essential for the implementation.
Not all parties are reassured about the outcome of the IZA. The implementation will also be a test for the GGDs. The GGDs, as guardians of public health, were not directly involved in the establishment of the IZA. This missed the opportunity to properly secure the implementation of prevention in the agreement.
Collaboration
We do, however, see room in the elaboration of the agreement to fully sit at the table. GGD GHOR Nederland sees opportunities in collaboration on this theme with national parties such as health insurers and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG). Implementation must take place in the region, where the GGDs will have to sit down and work on prevention and health in collaboration with health insurers, municipalities, social teams, general practitioners and hospitals.
Better agreements are also made in the IZA regarding acute care, whereby the regional GHOR offices in regional acute care will contribute to the implementation. An important point, certainly in view of the experiences with long-term high pressure on acute care in recent years.
offer
To ensure that the IZA goals are actually achieved, the 25 GGDs offer their expertise at five points in the IZA.
1. health in the region and ROAZ images
2. data and digitization
3. continuity of acute care
4. labor market
5. sustainable care
The need to prevent health is clear. GGD GHOR Nederland not only offers its knowledge, experience and regional prevention infrastructure, but also makes an urgent appeal to all parties in the healthcare sector to practice public health when developing IZA.