The Dutch Network for Early Psychosis (in Dutch: Netwerk Vroege Psychose - NVP) is the Dutch association of mental health care professionals, patients, family members, researchers and others affiliated with early psychosis. It is part of Phrenos, a Dutch center specialized in developing, sharing and dissemination of knowledge about recovery, care and participation of people with severe mental illness. 

Vision

Everyone in The Netherlands who has a first episode of psychosis or a high risk for developing psychosis, should have access to state of the art Early Psychosis (EP) treatment in the near environment. EP teams are working according to recovery paradigms and apply the latest insights in order to prevent progression of early psychosis into a chronic course of severe mental illness.  
Professionals and others affiliated with EP care find each other easily and collaborate. There is a continuous exchange of knowledge and experience, in order to develop and disseminate innovative findings, scientific evidence and practice based knowledge. The quality of care is high and is constantly improved.

Mission

By development, dissemination and exchange of knowledge and clinical / personal experience between professionals and other stakeholders in EP care, the NVP aims to advance knowledge about prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery in early psychosis, and to improve standards of care. NVP also has the ambition to be a platform for contact, information, consultation and advice, not only for its members, but also for other interested parties in and outside the psychiatric field.

Goals

1. To improve the quality of and access to EP care by dissemination and exchange of knowledge and experience between researchers, professionals and other stakeholders in EP care;
2. To stimulate scientific research and help improve further development of EP care;
3. To promote and advance EP care.  

Organization 

A national Committee, consisting of professionals from the various occupational groups, such as a psychiatrist, a nurse specialist, a psychologist, a rehabilitation expert and a peer specialist, are appointed with the aim to develop policies and activities, ensuring the management of NVP, to propose plans for policies and activities and to regulate current affairs. Every professional is NVP member on personal account. Members working in EP teams decide who will be representing the team. The representatives meet twice a year, in order to establish policies and activities and to exchange knowledge and expertise.
Individual members can participate in subgroups, committees and other activities.

Activities

Meetings

The NVP organizes several meetings each year, including masterclasses for researchers, network meetings for EP stakeholders and exchange seminars for mental health care professionals. 

Digital platform

The NVP has developed a digital platform (www.vroegepsychose.nl), where members can meet and exchange and discuss insights, views and practices. There is also an archive for recent (scientific) articles on EP, as well as an agenda for activities all over the country. Members can easily find and contact each other through an exhaustive database. 

Projects and publications

The NVP also contributes to improving EP care in the Netherlands by the following initiatives:

• Writing chapters in and editing of the Handbook Early Psychosis, in which available scientific knowledge and relevant practical knowledge are described;
• Development of the Standard Early Psychosis: an overview of the main recommendations in the Handbook;
• Representation in work group Multidisciplinary Guideline Early Psychosis;
• Dissemination of summaries of important and relevant articles from the international scientific literature;
• Cooperation in a nationwide Quality Improvement Collaborative (QIC) on Early Psychosis with the Breakthrough improvement method, in which Shared Decision Making and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in combination with Cognitive Remediation Training is implemented in EP care in the Netherlands. In a Randomized Controlled Trial the effect of IPS plus CRT is compared to IPS alone;
• Building an archive of scientific literature on EP and regular alerts (summaries) from international literature on early psychosis;
• Rewriting the national advice on fitness to drive with and after psychosis;
• Developing a tool for a visitation and mutual professional peer review on quality of care.

Information

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