# HKZ Certification Guide for Care Providers Source: https://nerix.ai/blog/hkz-certification-guide HKZ certification for Dutch care and welfare providers. What the HKZ norms are, how they relate to ISO 9001, the audit cycle and a readiness checklist. The nerix team Published November 1, 2026 7 min read Quality and audits hkz In this guide ## Key takeaways - HKZ is a voluntary Dutch quality mark for care and welfare, built on the ISO 9001 philosophy and written for care. - Find the scheme that fits your type of provider on hkz. - nl, choose an accredited certification body, run your system until it leaves records, and complete an internal audit and a management review before the certification audit. - Certificates usually run three years with a yearly check. HKZ certification is the quality mark that many Dutch care and welfare providers hold or are asked for by those who buy their services. The HKZ scheme, now part of NEN, the Dutch standardisation institute, offers norms built around a quality management system and written for care. This guide explains what the norms are, how they relate to ISO 9001, how certification runs and how to get ready. It is a plain-language overview, not a substitute for the norm itself. Check the current text and your scheme on hkz.nl and with a certification body. ## What HKZ is, and what it is not The HKZ scheme describes how a care organisation should organise its quality system so that care is safe, effective and centred on the client. Its norms follow the philosophy of ISO 9001: leadership, planning, process control, measurement and continual improvement. Unlike ISO 9001, they are written for care and welfare, with requirements around the client's wishes and involvement, the client file, the competence of professionals, safety and handling complaints. There is not one HKZ norm but a set, each for a type of provider. The certifying bodies list schemes such as HKZ 104 for physiotherapy practices, HKZ 118 for care of people with disabilities, HKZ 136 for public pharmacies, HKZ 143 for small organisations and HKZ 144 for nursing homes, residential homes and home care. There is also a certificate for self-employed professionals. The numbers and titles change as norms are revised, so confirm which one fits you with hkz.nl before you plan anything. HKZ is a voluntary mark. It is not the law, and it does not replace legal duties such as the Dutch quality and complaints act for care (Wkkgz) or the inspectorate's supervision. Many purchasers value it, and some contracts refer to it or to an equivalent. ## Who certifies you HKZ certificates are issued by independent certification bodies that are accredited for the scheme. The HKZ website lists them. At the time of writing these include CIIO, DNV, DEKRA, Keurmerkinstituut, Kiwa, LRQA and TÜV NORD. Prices and lead times differ, so ask for quotes from at least two, and ask what the audit days depend on, usually the size of the organisation, the number of locations and the risk of the care you give. ## How the certification route runs The exact steps depend on your scheme and your certification body. The usual shape, described by the certification bodies, is: - **Request a quote and agree the scope.** Which locations, services and client groups the certificate covers. - **Build and run the system.** The system must run for long enough to leave records: complaints handled, an internal audit done, a management review held. - **Document review and initial visit.** The certification body reviews your documents and how ready you are. - **Certification audit.** The auditors check how the system works in practice: interviews with staff and clients, observations and a sample of client files and records. - **Findings.** Nonconformities need a cause analysis and a corrective action within the agreed period. - **Decision and certificate.** Usually valid for three years, with a yearly interim check, and renewal by recertification audit at the end. The cycle of three years with a yearly review matches what Kiwa and LRQA describe for most schemes. Confirm yours in writing. ## HKZ readiness checklist for a care provider Use your own norm as the master list. These areas appear in nearly every care quality system, so they make a good starting grid. Under each, ask: is it written, is it done, is there a dated record? **Leadership and policy** - A quality policy and measurable objectives that the board or owner approves and reviews. - Clear roles, including who is responsible for quality and for client safety. - A scope that says which services and locations are included. **Client centred care** - A way to record each client's needs, wishes and goals, and to review the plan with them. - Informed consent and the client's rights explained in words they understand. - Involvement of clients and representatives in how you improve. **Safety and incidents** - A process for reporting incidents and near misses, analysing causes and acting. See [incident reports and how to investigate](https://nerix.ai/blog/incident-report-template-and-how-to-investigate). - Risk analysis for your care processes, kept in a [risk register](https://nerix.ai/blog/how-to-run-a-risk-register). - Hygiene, medication and emergency procedures that match your service. **People** - Job descriptions and the qualifications needed. - Records of training, competence and refreshers for each person, such as a [staff training record](https://nerix.ai/templates/staff-training-record). - An induction for new staff and volunteers. See [onboarding a new hire in 30 days](https://nerix.ai/blog/onboard-a-new-hire-in-30-days). **Complaints and feedback** - A complaints procedure that clients know about, with an independent route where the law requires it. A [customer complaints procedure](https://nerix.ai/templates/customer-complaints-procedure) is a base for the written steps, and [handling customer complaints](https://nerix.ai/blog/handle-customer-complaints-and-keep-the-customer) shows the habits. - A yearly look at the numbers and causes of complaints and client satisfaction. **Suppliers and records** - Evaluation of suppliers that affect care: medication, equipment, subcontracted staff. See [supplier audits](https://nerix.ai/blog/supplier-audits-for-small-companies). - Client files and data protected under the GDPR; see [our GDPR checklist](https://nerix.ai/blog/gdpr-checklist-for-small-businesses). - Document control: the current version of each procedure is easy to find. **Checking and improving** - An internal audit programme with results. See [your first internal audit](https://nerix.ai/blog/quality-first-internal-audit-step-by-step) and the [internal audit plan](https://nerix.ai/templates/internal-audit-plan). - A management review with minutes and decisions, using the [management review minutes](https://nerix.ai/templates/management-review-minutes). - Corrective actions that remove the cause, tracked to completion on a [corrective action report](https://nerix.ai/templates/corrective-and-preventive-action-report). Tip Auditors in care spend time with clients and staff. Make sure people can explain, in their own words, how a complaint or an incident is handled, not just point to the procedure. ## Common findings in care audits These are gaps that any care quality system tends to have, so test yourself against them before an auditor does. Client plans exist, but nobody can show they were reviewed with the client. Incidents are logged, yet the cause analysis is missing, or the same incident returns. The internal audit looked only at paperwork and spoke to nobody. Training records exist for staff but not for volunteers, temporary staff or subcontractors. Complaints are handled well in practice but not recorded, so the yearly analysis has no numbers. The management review repeats last year's minutes. Each is easy to fix and expensive to explain at the audit. Treat the checklist above as a monthly habit, not a project in the month before the audit. ## What the audit feels like in practice Expect the auditors to ask for evidence in the order care is actually given. They may start with a client's file and follow it back: how the need was assessed, who agreed the plan, which professional delivered it, whether the plan was reviewed and what happened when something went wrong. They talk to professionals on the floor, and often to clients or their representatives. A binder that matches the practice earns trust, and a binder that contradicts it loses it. Prepare two or three client journeys in advance, with the permission and privacy safeguards the law requires, and make sure the staff who will be interviewed know the quality policy and where to find procedures. If an auditor raises a finding, answer with the cause and the corrective action, not an excuse. ## A realistic timeline for a small provider A provider of five to fifteen people, starting from a basic system, can often reach the certification audit in six to twelve months, because the records have to exist before the auditors arrive. Plan this order: scope and gap check, policy and objectives, risk analysis and processes, run them for a few months, internal audit, management review, then book the certification audit. Do not book the date first. Try it on your own work. nerix writes the first draft, answers from your documents with the page each sentence came from, and keeps the team's work in one place. Start on the free plan. Start free ## Using software for the gap check [Checks](https://nerix.ai/product/audits/hkz) in nerix is in early access, and its library of about 90 frameworks includes ISO 9001. It does not include the HKZ norms, which are NEN's own text, so use ISO 9001 as a first gap check of the quality management system, then compare with your HKZ norm. nerix reads the policies and records in your [library](https://nerix.ai/product/library) and marks each requirement Evidence found, Partly found, Not found or Can't tell, and a person confirms each one. It is readiness information, not an audit and not a certificate, and it does not replace the norm or a certification body. ## The short version HKZ is a voluntary Dutch quality mark for care and welfare, built on the ISO 9001 philosophy and written for care. Find the scheme that fits your type of provider on hkz.nl, choose an accredited certification body, run your system until it leaves records, and complete an internal audit and a management review before the certification audit. Certificates usually run three years with a yearly check. ## Sources - HKZ, part of NEN: [hkz.nl](https://www.hkz.nl/), with the list of certification bodies. - Scheme pages and certification process: [Kiwa HKZ](https://www.kiwa.com/nl/nl/diensten/certificering/hkz-kleine-organisaties/), [LRQA HKZ](https://www.lrqa.com/nl-nl/hkz/) and [DEKRA HKZ](https://dekra.nl/en/hkz-certification), consulted 1 November 2026. ## Questions people ask What does HKZ stand for? HKZ was originally the Harmonisatie Kwaliteitsbeoordeling in de Zorgsector, the Dutch name for a scheme that harmonised quality assessment in care. Today HKZ is the name of the certification scheme and its norms for care and welfare, part of NEN, the Dutch standardisation institute. Is HKZ certification mandatory? HKZ certification is a voluntary quality mark. Care purchasers, insurers and municipalities may ask for it or for an equivalent in their contracts, so check the conditions of the purchaser you work for. Providers still have to meet the legal requirements of their sector, such as the Wkkgz. Is HKZ the same as ISO 9001? No. HKZ norms are built on the ISO 9001 philosophy of a quality management system, but they are written for care and welfare and add sector specific requirements, for example on client involvement and safety. Some organisations hold both. Ask your certification body what applies to your scheme. n/ About the author The nerix team The nerix team writes these guides in plain words for small teams, with templates you can fill in and use today. Share this guide - - [Email](mailto:?subject=HKZ%20certification%20guide%20for%20care%20organisations&body=https%3A%2F%2Fnerix.ai%2Fblog%2Fhkz-certification-guide) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnerix.ai%2Fblog%2Fhkz-certification-guide) - [X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnerix.ai%2Fblog%2Fhkz-certification-guide&text=HKZ%20certification%20guide%20for%20care%20organisations) One tap, no account. We keep a count and nothing else. ## Templates for this Fill one in online and download it as Word or PDF. Free, no account, and what you type stays in your browser. - ### [Internal audit plan](https://nerix.ai/templates/internal-audit-plan) Plan which areas you audit this year, when, by whom, against what, and how results are reported and followed up. Fill it in - ### [Management review minutes](https://nerix.ai/templates/management-review-minutes) Record a management review: what was looked at, what was decided, who does what and by when. Fill it in - ### [Corrective and preventive action report](https://nerix.ai/templates/corrective-and-preventive-action-report) Record a problem, find its root cause, fix it, stop it happening again and check that the fix worked. Fill it in - ### [Customer complaints procedure](https://nerix.ai/templates/customer-complaints-procedure) Tell customers how to complain, who answers and by when, and what happens if they are not satisfied. Fill it in - ### [Staff training record](https://nerix.ai/templates/staff-training-record) Keep one record of the training an employee has done, when it expires and what is due next. Fill it in ## In nerix - [HKZ](https://nerix.ai/product/audits/hkz) - [Checks](https://nerix.ai/product/audits) - [Library and search](https://nerix.ai/product/library) ## Try it on your own work. nerix writes the first draft, answers from your documents with the page each sentence came from, and keeps the team's work in one place. Start on the free plan. Start free See the plans ## Keep reading - Quality and audits iso [Quality and audits](https://nerix.ai/blog/category/quality-and-audits) November 1, 2026 7 min read ### [ISO 9001 checklist for small businesses](https://nerix.ai/blog/iso-9001-checklist-for-small-businesses) An ISO 9001 checklist for small businesses, clause by clause, with the records the standard requires, what auditors sample and common delays. Read the guide - Quality and audits incidents [Quality and audits](https://nerix.ai/blog/category/quality-and-audits) October 31, 2026 5 min read ### [Incident report template and how to investigate](https://nerix.ai/blog/incident-report-template-and-how-to-investigate) How to write an incident report and investigate it: what to record in the first hour, how to find the cause, what to fix and when to tell an authority. Read the guide - Quality and audits risk [Quality and audits](https://nerix.ai/blog/category/quality-and-audits) October 31, 2026 7 min read ### [How to run a risk register in a small company](https://nerix.ai/blog/how-to-run-a-risk-register) A risk register in plain steps for a small company: what to list, how to score likelihood and impact, who owns each risk and how often to review it. Read the guide - [hkz](https://nerix.ai/blog/tag/hkz) - [iso 9001](https://nerix.ai/blog/tag/iso-9001) - [care](https://nerix.ai/blog/tag/care) - [quality](https://nerix.ai/blog/tag/quality)