The Hague, 17 March 2025 – Deerns hosts collaborative event bringing together experts from the healthcare and airport industry to share cross-sector insights and innovations.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event held in Milan, Deerns decided to use an unexpected venue to host part of this year’s healthcare forum: Schiphol Airport! Healthcare professional from seven hospitals attended the two-day event which also saw them visit the Diakonessenhuis hospital in Utrecht.
Lessons from Schiphol: a 24/7 operation
Like a hospital, Schiphol is a complex environment that operates 24/7 and is subject to strict laws and regulations. During the talks, the hospital representatives from Bravis Hospital, Slingeland Hospital, Spaarne Gasthuis, Groene Hart Hospital, Diakonessenhuis, Leiden University Medical Center and Radboudumc were given insights into how Schiphol handles key operational and strategic issues, including:
- How does the airport approach a tender?
- What are the challenges of working in an operational airport environment?
- How does Schiphol approach risk and issue management?
- What is the airport doing to improve sustainability?
- How does the airport manage process control within projects?
Discussions provided valuable insights with clear parallels between airport operations and the sorts of challenges hospitals face, particularly during renovations and expansions.
Knowledge exchange at the Diakonessenhuis
Day two was dedicated to knowledge sharing among the healthcare experts. At the Diakonessenhuis in Utrecht, presentations such as “AI applications in healthcare” and an explanation of key figures by the Advisory Centre for Care Accommodation (AcvZ) sparked plenty of topical debate. The presentations and discussions provided valuable tools for the application of innovative solutions within healthcare.
The meeting ended with a tour of the Diakonessenhuis hospital which has itself embarked on an extensive review of care processes to align with the construction of a new 16,500m2 hospital building.
A valuable step forward
The engagement of delegates and feedback about Deerns’ two-day meeting again demonstrated how valuable knowledge sharing is to the healthcare sector. Bringing people together creates innovative solutions that contribute to a better healthcare environment.
Peter Bouma, Unit Director Health Care at Deerns, looks back: “It is great to see how hospitals learn from each other and that insights from other sectors, such as the airport industry, contribute to innovation in healthcare. These kinds of meetings show that cooperation and knowledge sharing can really make a difference.”
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