HAP Schievliet to centralise emergency nighttime GP services in Delft
12-12-2025 -With effect from 5 January 2026, the Schievliet out-of-hours GP service (HAP Schievliet) will be centralising its emergency nighttime GP service (23:00-08:00) at the out-of-hours GP location in Delft (Reinier de Graaf hospital). As a result of this decision, safe and good quality emergency nighttime GP services will remain available to all residents of the region going forward.
What are emergency GP services?
Emergency GP care is GP care outside of office hours that cannot wait until your own GP becomes available again. In the Netherlands, this type of care is provided at out-of-hours GP centres (or HAPs).
A triage nurse — a specially trained GP assistant — will assess whether a patient needs emergency GP care or emergency hospital care over the phone. These triage nurses are trained to assess quickly and accurately which type of emergency care is most suitable. In most cases, self-care will suffice, but a patient may equally need to visit the HAP for an emergency consultation with a GP. In some cases, the GP will visit the patient at home, and in the event of a life-threatening emergency, an ambulance will be called.
What does this centralisation of nighttime care mean for residents?
When a resident of Maassluis, Vlaardingen or Schiedam needs a GP between 23:00 at night and 08:00 in the morning, they will need to call HAP Schievliet, exactly as they do now. They can do so using the same number as always: 010 249 3939. The triage nurse (a specially trained doctor’s assistant) answering the call will discuss with the patient what the best location and right type of care is at that time.
If the patient needs an emergency consultation at night, this will take place at HAP Delft from 5 January 2026 onwards. The triage nurse and the patient will discuss the practical arrangements. If the GP believes that the patient needs emergency care at a hospital, they will determine the most suitable location at that time. If a patient has been seen at Franciscus Gasthuis before, for example, they may be referred there by mutual consultation.
In the new situation, just as many GPs will continue to work overnight as is currently the case. The Schiedam GP will now work overnight at HAP Delft. The benefit of this is that there will always be a GP present when a patient visits the HAP for an emergency consultation, even if the other GP is out on a home visit.
As ever, in case of a life-threatening emergency, the advice is to ring 112. There will be no change to the number of ambulances on call in the region.
Centralised service at night only
The HAP is open outside of office hours, when the patient’s own GP is unavailable. HAP Schievliet is available at all of these times on the usual phone number (010 249 3939). Only during the night will patients who need an emergency consultation on site be asked to visit HAP Delft. At all other times (weekday evenings between 17:00 and 23:00, over the weekend and on public holidays between 08:00 and 23:00), emergency consultations will take place at HAP Schiedam, as they do now.
Call first: do not visit unannounced
For your own safety and to reduce any waiting time to a minimum, the advice for each HAP remains the same: always call ahead and never visit unannounced. That way, we can assess the severity of the situation and organise the most suitable form of care at that time.
Measures have been put in place to ensure that, from 5 January 2026 onwards, any patients who visit the closed HAP in Schiedam after 23:00 without calling ahead are referred to the right place to get the care they need.
Why are we making this change?
The main reason for moving the overnight GP service is the national shortage of triage nurses. By centralising our services in a single place overnight, we can reduce the pressure on our staff, while guaranteeing that patients can access emergency GP care overnight. On top of that, it is easier for GPs to work in an environment where specialist hospital care is available nearby, if genuinely necessary.
Mariëtte Glim, director at HAP Schievliet, can assure you of the following: “This was not an easy decision for us to make, but it is a step we need to take to keep the accessibility, safety and quality of emergency GP care outside of office hours at the same level in our region for the future.”
Careful consideration
The decision to centralise nighttime emergency GP care at HAP Delft was taken following an in-depth and wide-ranging investigation. Both internal and external partners were closely involved in this process. Over the coming period, HAP Schievliet will continue to monitor the new situation. Agreements have been made on this point with other GPs and triage nurses, as well as with external partners. On top of that, we will also call patients to hear how they feel about the situation.
Terug naar overzicht