Institute fosters international learning by hosting Dutch health delegation visit

A delegation of over 40 senior health officials from the Netherlands visited Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) today.

19 January 2011

A delegation of over 40 senior health officials from the Netherlands visited Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) today with a view to encourage international learning on healthcare management and reform.

The delegation, led by Roger Van Boxtel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Netherlands’ Menzis Health Insurance, was welcomed by IGHI’s Centre for Health Policy staff in a morning of lively talks and discussions on improving UK and European health care.

Peter Howitt, Policy Fellow at IGHI’s Centre for Health Policy, and Professor the Lord Ara Darzi, Chairman of IGHI, spoke on their experiences in researching, proposing and delivering UK National Health Service (NHS) healthcare reforms, including the 2008 NHS Next Stage Review. Peter Howitt highlighted the importance for policy reform consultations to consider clinical, managerial and public input. Speaking on his experience as a UK Health Minister, Professor Darzi highlighted the need for localised healthcare that motivates staff and adapts to local health needs, thereby putting patient care first.

Roger Van Boxtel commented positively on the success of the 2000 NHS reforms and NHS Next Stage Review which led to significantly decreased waiting times for patients requiring specific procedures, such as a hip replacement.

An inter-disciplinary, innovative approach to healthcare delivery was also discussed in Professor Darzi’s talk, particularly concerning procurement of medical equipment. For example, reducing the problem of Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals was partly due to the commissioning and procurement of practical innovations, such as the ‘intelligent mattress’, commissioned as part of the NHS Next Sage Review that shows when it has been punctured by a potentially contaminated needle.

The morning was concluded by Professor Peter Smith, Co-Director of the Centre for Health Policy, who presented comparisons of health systems across the world, including the UK and Netherlands. Professor Smith stressed the importance of performance measurement in health systems as an important stimulus for policy reform. He commended the independent review of the Dutch health system, which compared it with others in Europe in their ‘Dare to Compare! Benchmarking Dutch health with the European Community Health Indicators’ report.

Professor Smith reminded all present of the Tallinn Charter (Health Systems for Health and Wealth) which stated that the European countries who signed the Charter would work to foster ‘cross-country learning and cooperation on the design and implementation of health system reforms’. The Dutch delegation’s visit marks a positive start in IGHI’s mission to adhere to the Tallinn Charter and encourage international learning.