Heeren Loo, a national organisation for people with intellectual disabilities, checks all freelancers for their credentials and qualifications. This is because there have been previous reports of fraudulent credentials. For example, in January, a group of anonymous healthcare professionals warned in an urgent letter about the possibility of credential fraud.

“We literally sit down with every freelancer,” says Heeren Loo’s regional director at Heeren Loo. Staff must then log in on site to the Education Executive Agency’s (DUO) system, where all certificates are registered. “We examine the qualifications of all 1,000 external forces,” Janssen says.

Two employees did not want to participate in the investigation. For them, it would be the end of their career at the healthcare organization. “There is already a zero tolerance policy. If you don’t want to be tested, we can’t check that you meet the requirements. That ends our relationship.”

Earlier today, a study was published by the Health Care and Youth Inspectorate and the Education Inspectorate on abuses in training in the health care sector. Inspectors say what is worrying is the ease of access to care “for people of less good will, including criminals”.

A person with a fake certificate often gets a job in a healthcare institution through an agency. Hence, Heeren Loo’s subsidiary Heeren Loo no longer relies on the screening of brokerage agencies and brokers, but takes matters into its own hands. “Things can also go wrong with a good mediator,” says Janssen. “That’s why we will examine all those parties. If it turns out that an agency is not complying, we will stop cooperation as well,” he added.

Janssen admits that it’s not always easy to stop outsourcing immediately. “It is difficult to find qualified employees. If we have to say goodbye to a freelancer immediately and this person is needed in the group, the quality is under pressure. Then we have to make a lot of effort to find another employee.”

However, a shortage of people is no reason why Janssen can’t show someone the door right away. “You’re working with vulnerable people here. Someone who isn’t qualified can cause more damage than if we couldn’t deploy someone.”