Home care organization that works through teams that have professional freedom and are responsible for their own operation. Each team is made up of 12 people and works in a neighborhood taking care of people who need support and managing the team’s work. Each new team looks for their own office in the neighborhood, dedicates time to introduce themselves to the local community and to get to know the GPs, therapists and other social and health professionals. The team decides how to organize the work, share responsibilities and make decisions.

As a KMPG study states: “Essentially, the program allows nurses (rather than nursing assistants or caregivers) to provide all the care the patient needs. And while this has meant higher costs per hour, the total number of hours has been lower. In fact, by changing the care model, Buurtzorg achieved a 50 percent reduction in hours of care, improved the quality of care and increased employee job satisfaction. ”

An Ernst and Young study estimated that the new system allowed a 40% savings on home care in the Netherlands.