Collaborating for optimal care in mental health services for children and adolescents
In the Netherlands, there are two organisations providing services independently: GGD Drenthe and Accare.
GGD Drenthe is a public health organisation that provides information, advice and supports parents/guardians with children aged 0-18 years. They are all specialized in youth healthcare. GGD Drenthe – JGZ also provides basic childhood vaccinations under the National Vaccination Programme.
Accare is an organisation that treats children and adolescents with mental health problems. They know what works well when problems arise in the development of children. They provide evidence-based healthcare and collaborate with the University of Groningen for research to the effectiveness of treatments.
Despite these two organisations providing high quality services, it was found that at times, children were getting treated at both facilities independently without coordination. This meant that services were being offered in silos.
To address this issue, nurse practitioners at both the facilities decided to join efforts and collaborate to enable optimal care for patients. They achieved this by meeting together and coordinating care and breaking down the silos so that the physical, psychological and emotional needs could be met. This meant that those needing care were able to access the right treatment in the right place at the right time by the right person.