In the Netherlands: after-hours care that works

Emergency departments in Canada are overcrowded — but what if they didn’t have to be? In Part Three of her audio documentary series from the Netherlands, Dr. Tara Kiran takes listeners behind the scenes at two Dutch after-hours clinics: one in the university town of Nijmegen, and another in bustling Amsterdam. She follows Dr. Tim Olde Hartman into a modern after-hours centre that serves over 400,000 people — and learns how Dutch GPs came together to fix a broken model. Rather than being on call alone, GPs in the Netherlands now work together in large regional cooperatives to provide care 24/7. Patients call one number, speak with a specially trained practice assistant, and are guided to the right level of care — whether that’s phone advice, an in-person visit, or a doctor dispatched directly to their home.It’s a system built on trust, triage, and teamwork — and it results in emergency rooms that are calm, efficient, and often… empty.Stay tuned for Part Four, where Tara reflects on the trip with colleague Rosemary Hannam, who joined her in the Netherlands just before becoming Strategic Advisor on Primary Care at Ontario Health.If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click to catch up. See a gallery of Dr. Kiran’s photos from her trip to the Netherlands.Hear Dr. Kiran speaking about her trip on CBC’s White Coat, Black ArtRead Dr. Kiran’s 4-part series for the Canadian Health Network on her tripRead an article on after hours care in the Netherlands called "Quality of after-hours care in the Netherlands: a narrative review"Subscribe to our Substack newsletter to get bonus content.Take the OurCare national survey to share your experiences with primary care.Do you have an idea for an episode? Email [email protected]. Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ Primary Focus is supported by a grant from the St. Michael’s Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com