News item | 29-04-2022 | 16:05
The cabinet has today approved a package of measures to prepare the Individual Health Care Professions Act (Wet BIG) for future developments. For example, it is made clearer which care provider is allowed to perform reserved actions and more attention should be paid to learning from disciplinary decisions by care providers.
The BIG Act has long been regarded as a guarantee for the quality of individual care and for the protection of the patient. A number of actions are being taken to make better use of the current possibilities of the BIG Act. These actions should also ensure that in the future the law sufficiently guarantees that patients are helped by competent and authorized healthcare providers.
Research has shown that in practice there is often a lack of clarity about the possibilities and conditions for reserved acts and the criteria for admitting new professions to the BIG Act. This can lead to confusion about who is responsible for what and who is allowed to perform which reserved actions. That is why, in consultation with professional associations, employers and the patient federation, VWS has decided to have a committee advise on criteria for reserved actions, admission to the BIG Act and functionally independent competence. These criteria are very important for the operation of the BIG Act, because they determine who is allowed to do what and under which conditions and guarantees.
The amendment proposal includes more actions to make the law more future-proof. For example, there is a plan to set up a BIG council, which can advise on new reserved actions. Medical disciplinary law will also be adjusted so that it will focus more on learning and improving by healthcare providers. In addition, various actions are being initiated to further promote the expertise of BIG-registered professional groups.