Develop a new strategy with 200 healthcare professionals? Spaarne Gasthuis did it!

What was Spaarne Gasthuis looking for? A new long-term strategy. And preferably not a ‘paper tiger’, but one that would actually be supported by all employees. With that in mind, we set to work with the entire Spaarne leadership team, which consists of 200 healthcare professionals. Three months – and quite a few sessions and workshops later – the job was done.



  • Healthcare providers
  • Strategy

The Spaarne Gasthuis is a leading clinical hospital with locations in Hoofddorp and Haarlem. It’s a hospital with major ambitions: now and in the future, patients from the area should be confident that they’ll get the best care, at the right location. But how do you make that idea a reality? And how do you keep it alive in our ever-changing healthcare landscape? Which services will fit the needs and desires of the patients of the future? These and many other questions were the starting point for a new multi-year strategy. Gupta assisted by developing a vision that would be supported throughout the organization.

From inquiry to implementation

During a series of plenary sessions and workshops in which the group was divided into smaller teams, Gupta guided 200 healthcare professionals from Spaarne Gashuis in developing their new strategy. We started by qualitatively and quantitatively explaining how the healthcare landscape is changing. A few weeks later, we translated the more detailed strategy into a suitable healthcare offering for the hospital. Some of the most important questions discussed during this process included: ‘What are the most significant trends and how should Spaarne respond to them?’, ‘What are Spaarne’s ‘centers of excellence’ and where is competition increasing?’, ‘What care can be moved into the home or to first-line providers, and what does that mean for square meters and revenue?’ We concluded the project by integrating the long-term strategy into the medical management plans and of course by implementing the strategy.

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The experience of Michiel Driehuis

sales manager at Spaarne Gasthuis

Together, we translated this step by step into a long-term strategy.”

“Just imagine trying to develop a new long-term strategy with a massive group of healthcare professionals who are new to this kind of process. The fact that so many people showed their commitment by wanted to participate is energizing, but it also requires good management. Based on previous collaborations with Gupta I knew that they were made for the job. So we got to work with a project team from Gupta and our employees. Gupta provided inspiration, expertise in the field and an analytical foundation. Together, we translated this step by step into a long-term strategy.

During the sessions with 200 members of the management team, we worked in seven different patient groups and clarified which opportunities and threats they would face in the future. It gave us insight into our own portfolio – where we could do better, and where we were already doing well. So step by step, based on facts, we developed a very clear vision for the future of our hospital. And thanks to that way of working, really doing it together, having the feeling that the strategy is ours, we didn’t need to convince anyone else in the organization. Everyone immediately recognized the importance of our new strategy.

So wherever you need honest insights to help take your healthcare institution to a higher, future-proof level, Gupta’s brainpower is a must!”

Img Noreen Van Der Linden

Noreen van der Linden's experience

This approach ensured that we were able to make the organization excited about using this strategy.”

“What made this project unique was that from the beginning, to work on the strategy, we organized workshops every two weeks for more than a hundred employees. These workshops gave us a clear picture of the organization’s starting point and future requirements. But more importantly, this approach ensured that we were able to make the organization excited about using this strategy. Spaarne Gasthuis is currently working to integrate the new strategy into their medical management plans.

During this project, I learned what it takes to truly work together on a strategy. But crucially, it also taught me what that process can deliver. It was really nice to see how people not only took ownership of the new strategy through the workshops, but also collaboratively started making plans about how they could make healthcare better. I will definitely take the experience of setting an organization in motion with me to future projects.”