Supporting Regional Collaboration in the Movement Towards Integrated Care

Background: Across Europe and worldwide, health and social care systems face increasing workforce shortages, rising demands, and growing complexity. In the Netherlands, these pressures have driven a national movement toward regional collaboration as a foundation for integrated care.

To support this transformation, Vilans, the national centre of expertise for long-term care, co-develops and tests methodologies that enable regions to build and strengthen interorganizational networks. These tools help partners identify shared goals, assess collaboration maturity, and monitor progress toward integrated service delivery.

 

This workshop draws on that experience to provide participants with practical, evidence-informed approaches for supporting collaboration within and across regions. Through interactive exercises and peer exchange, participants will explore how these methods can be applied in their own systems—advancing the global movement toward sustainable, people-centred, and learning health systems.

 

Audience The workshop is aimed at health and social care professionals, policymakers, managers, and researchers who are engaged in or supporting regional collaboration for integrated care. It welcomes participants from diverse national and organizational contexts, fostering learning across systems and encouraging reflection on how different governance models and cultural settings influence collaboration.

 

Participants will benefit from hands-on practice, dialogue with peers, and exposure to co-designed methodologies that can be adapted to local realities.

 

Approach: The 90-minute session combines short presentations with highly interactive activities, ensuring that at least half the time is dedicated to discussion and group work.

-Introduction (10 min): Contextual overview of the Dutch approach to regional collaboration and why networked learning and reflection are critical for integrated care.

-Methodologies Overview (15 min): Presentation of four co-designed tools developed and validated with end-users:

*Scale of Collaboration: determining the appropriate scope and participation in networks.

*Collaboration Review: assessing the current state and effectiveness of partnerships.

*Collaboration Value Overview: exploring how organizational and personal values influence collaboration outcomes.

*Management Collaboration Review: understanding how managers balance organizational versus regional interests.

-Interactive Group Work (30 min): Participants work in mixed roundtables on real or hypothetical scenarios using one of the tools. Facilitators guide reflection and application, encouraging participants to adapt methods to their own contexts.

-Collective Reflection (15 min): Groups share insights on what fosters or hinders collaboration and how methods can translate across systems.

-Measuring and Monitoring (10 min): Discussion on evaluating network maturity and collaboration outcomes using practical indicators.

-Synthesis (10 min): Shared takeaways, next steps, and opportunities for continued learning.

 

Outcomes: By the end of the workshop, participants will:

-Understand and apply key methodologies that strengthen and evaluate regional collaboration.

-Gain hands-on experience with co-designed tools adaptable to various health and social care systems.

-Reflect on how shared values, governance, and stakeholder engagement shape integrated care success.

-Identify actionable steps for advancing collaboration and integration within their own practice or region.

These insights contribute to building inclusive, learning systems capable of delivering sustainable and person-centred care worldwide.