ZukunftAlter "Feasibility study on the Buurtzorg model".
Project manager
Mr. Prof. Dr. rer. pol. habil. Thorsten Claus
Project staff
Ms. Dipl. Soz.-Wiss. Alina Sinziana Schönfelder
Financing Institution
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Project Timeframe
01.10.2022 - 29.02.2024
Cooperation partner
https://www.zukunftalter.eu/partner
Brief description
The feasibility study is a sub-project of the project "ZukunfTAlter - ein WiR Projekt", which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The care model Buurtzorg (from Dutch, meaning care in the neighbourhood) was developed in 2006 by Jos de Blok and represents the motto: "Humanity before bureaucracy". It has also been applied in Germany since 2018 and has been scientifically monitored in NRW since 2020. It is receiving a great deal of international attention because it offers solutions to problems that have been identified in the current care system, especially in long-term care (shortage of skilled workers, financial viability, dissatisfaction on the part of clients and relatives).
In contrast to the current system, the so-called functional care, the services are not explicitly based on the functions that clients can no longer perform themselves. Buurtzorg advocates a holistic approach that aims to promote and maintain the independence of the person being cared for. It is central that the focus is on remaining resources and that the social environment (i.e. caring relatives, neighbours) is included. However, this requires an organisation of work that is usually drastically different from the one currently prevailing. The Buurtzorg model relies on self-organisation, i.e. on self-directed, autonomous care teams with hardly any hierarchies, supported by IT systems and continuous coaching. Due to the autonomy of the teams, which work on the basis of key figures, the result is a very lean administrative apparatus. As a result, it not only promises savings in the costs of care, but also places the nursing activity and thus the relationship between the patient and the nurse at the centre.
Detailed studies comparing the Buurtzorg model with other providers in the sector can currently only be found from the Netherlands and in Dutch. They suggest that savings can be made compared to traditional providers. For example, fewer hours are needed for the nursing activities, the people to be cared for have to be cared for over a shorter period of time and the overhead costs are significantly lower than with other providers. For Germany, a scientific evaluation of the model in relation to outpatient care is currently being carried out within the framework of a project of the "Netzwerk Gesundheitswirtschaft Münsterland e.V.", which will run until November 2022. It mainly focuses on the feasibility of the Buurtzorg model in the outpatient care sector, from which the care model originates.
In contrast, the feasibility of a holistic implementation in the neighbourhood is to be analysed in the proposed starter project. So far, some successful Buurtzorg teams have been established in Germany, for example in Leipzig, but there is at least one report about a team that could not be set up permanently Both from the successful and the unsuccessful transfer projects, important lessons can be learned for future teams that will ensure the transfer of the model to the German care sector. To this end, it is also necessary to evaluate the technical requirements that are necessary for the implementation of the Buurtzorg model. Another challenge is posed by questions of billing, as this differs significantly from the Dutch system. Furthermore, economic, political, organisational and resource-related aspects have to be considered to ensure a successful implementation of the project.
Further information on the ZukunftAlter project: https://www.zukunftalter.eu/