More than intention: Towards better collaboration within mental healthcare

The Netherlands prides itself on its commitment to caring for citizens with mental health issues, as well as having a first-rate healthcare system. However, that system has come under considerable strain lately. Anneloes van den Broek PhD, MHA, and Margot Metz PhD, both senior mental healthcare practitioners and researchers at GGz Breburg and Tilburg University, together with full professor Inge Bongers PhD, Tilburg University, believe that part of the solution lies in streamlining the system through better collaboration. Using the work of noted specialists in vertical collaboration, the researchers surveyed sustainable partnerships between healthcare providers and insurers (who were part of a collaborative effort) in the Netherlands. What they discovered was both unexpected as well as encouraging.