Client Council Seeks Emergency Court Order to Stop ExpertCare Villa Closures

Overview

• The cliëntenraad (client council) of Villa ExpertCare said on Monday it will ask a court in an urgent hearing to stop the provider from closing two of its four specialised care villas for severely ill and multiple‑disabled children.
• ExpertCare's board says it must reduce operations from four villas to two because care there is financially unsustainable, reimbursements from insurers are too low, staff are scarce and the sector is shifting toward care at home.
• Reports conflict over which locations will close with some outlets naming Waalre and Wezep and others Waalre and Vleuten, and the clients' council warns that about nine to ten children still lack replacement places and that some families would face drives of up to roughly 75 minutes each way.
• The health inspectorate IGJ has received the clients' council complaint, says it is treating the matter as part of ongoing supervision and will try to respond faster than normal, and Minister Mirjam Sterk has summoned ExpertCare and parent company B. Braun for talks this Wednesday.
• Parents say abrupt closures would be reckless and could harm fragile children; the clients' council also has an Ondernemingskamer case set for mid‑July and wants regulatory action so judicial review can be accelerated if relocations are not secured.