[Sharing patient information with neighbourhood social support teams; a legal perspective].

The beginning of 2015 saw the transition of responsibility for social care, youth care and participation of vulnerable groups in the Netherlands from the government to local authorities. A large majority of municipalities chose to work with neighbourhood social support teams. Their main purpose is to offer integrated care to citizens. Integrated care requires information-sharing between organisations and (healthcare) professionals. Are medical practitioners authorized to share patient information with neighbourhood social support teams? Legal analysis shows that a medical practitioner may play one of the following three roles when sharing information with such teams: the role of referrer, the role of expert or the role of informant. Each role comes with specific rules to protect patient confidentiality and safeguard patient privacy. Being aware of one's role and acting accordingly may positively influence integrated care.