Jos de Blok is the founder and CEO of Buurtzorg (neighborhood nursing), a Dutch organization with more than 10,000 employees, offering community based (home) care services to more than 70,000 patients a year. Founded in 2006 with one team of four nurses, Buurtzorg has transformed home-based health care and it has created an innovative method for nursing care at home.
For more information about Burrtzorg, watch this video.
As a community based and client centered organization, Buurtzorg connects highly qualified licensed nurses and clients to create positive and proactive solutions that are effective, holistic, and sustainable. Organized in small autonomous teams of up to 12 nurses within a neighborhood-sized care area, Buurtzorg nurses bring groundbreaking synergy and expertise in a direct and connected relationship between care-giver and client.
Buurtzorg operates without a hierarchical management structure, meaning there are no bosses over subordinates. All team members set the direction and priorities, analyze problems, make plans, evaluate people’s performance and make tough decisions when needed. The teams are self-governing and self-organizing with support from a coach (who is unable to make any decisions for the team) and the direction and vision set by Jos de Blok.
Buurtzorg has succeeded in reducing administrative burden for nurses, improving quality of care and raising work satisfaction for their employees (Buurtzorg was awarded employer of the year in the Netherlands three times). Buurtzorg is supported by an innovative IT system that enables nurses to communicate with and learn from each other. Internationalization started by launching in Sweden, US, Belgium, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Germany, Scotland and UK.
Jos de Blok is a nurse by education and considered a change agent in the Netherlands when it comes to the organization of community based (home) care. Before he established Buurtzorg he had several senior management positions in home care organizations including director Innovations for medical services.