Further investigation required into merger between two regional health care providers
Two regional health care providers in the central Netherlands, De Zorggroep Apeldoorn en omstreken and Trimenzo, wish to merge. Trimenzo offers nursing-home care and complex homecare in the municipality of Voorst. Zorggroep Apeldoorn en omstreken provides health care assistance, assistance for daily living, health care treatments, and assistance for seniors in the greater Apeldoorn area, including Voorst. One of these assistance services is nursing-home care. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has come to the conclusion that a further investigation is required into the planned merger’s effects on nursing-home care for the people of Voorst.
Further investigation needed into nursing-home care
After the merger, people in Voorst will have little to no choice when it comes to nursing-home care. Other providers are active, but they do not appear to be viable alternatives for everyone, given their pricing strategies or locations. A more detailed investigation should reveal whether this is indeed the case, and what the merger’s effects will be on price and quality of nursing-home care in Voorst.
What are the next steps in the investigation?
ACM will investigate the planned merger’s effects in more detail, because both providers have applied for a merger license. In the follow-up investigation, ACM will, in any case, ask questions to the buyer and health care providers in the area about the potential effects of this merger.