News item | 4/18/2023 | 9:00 am
With the support of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), parties in acute care are starting a public campaign to inform people when they should consult which acute care. And when other care fits better. This contributes to alleviating the pressure on acute care.
People call 112 or the general practitioner, where this is not always necessary. For example, they can use online information on Thuisarts.nl, or wait until the next working day to make an appointment with their own GP. Because these people still use acute care, there are longer waiting times on the telephone and this care becomes overloaded more quickly. The campaign helps people to make the right choice. There is special attention for groups that turn to acute care more often than average, where this turns out not always to be necessary. Such as parents with young children, informal carers, expats, tourists and international students.
Minister Kuipers: “Acute care is under pressure. That is why it is important that we reduce that pressure where possible. After all, acute care must remain accessible to people who really need it. In the Integrated Care Agreement, we have agreed with many healthcare parties that appropriate use of acute care must be encouraged. This campaign is in line with this and contributes to ensuring that everyone receives the right (acute) care at the right time and in the right place.”
Explanation and tips for the right choice
The campaign contains the following elements:
- Explanation about when care is acute and what types of acute care there are.
- Tips for making the right choice in a stressful situation.
- Information so that people know in advance which contact options are available for acute care.
Public campaign
Various means of communication have been developed for the campaign. A toolkit is available for healthcare professionals in acute care, so that they can use the communication tools on their own online channels. The toolkit contains texts for websites, an animation and various images for websites and social media. Posters and flyers will also be available. In a later phase, advertisements and online videos will also be used on various online and social media channels.
The public campaign was developed together with general practitioners (LHV), out-of-hours GP services (InEen), the ambulance sector (Ambulancezorg Nederland) and the emergency room physicians (NVSHA).