What Breinlijn does

Breinlijn is the Dutch national helpline service for non-congenital brain injury (NAH), operated by Stichting LOHL (Landelijk Overleg Hersenletsel), the coordination body that unites all 16 regional brain injury expert teams in the Netherlands. The service provides free, confidential, and independent advisory and referral support to three user segments: people living with NAH, their partners and family members, and (healthcare) professionals working with the NAH population. Users reach Breinlijn via a toll-free telephone number (085-225 02 44) or an online contact form; based on postal code, each caller is matched to a regional brain injury expert who returns the call within two working days.

The service is delivered through a coordinated network of 16 regional teams, each staffed by specialized clinical professionals including revalidation physicians, CVA nurses, client supporters, neuropsychologists, and social workers who possess intimate knowledge of their region's care landscape. Breinlijn is not a technology platform: it holds no proprietary technology, patents, AI/ML systems, or APIs. Its operational backbone consists of the 16 regional teams plus a central coordination function at Stichting LOHL, supported by a website (breinlijn.nl), a YouTube content channel with narrowcasting videos and promotional sketches featuring public figure Margôt Ros, and downloadable awareness materials (A4 posters, roll-up banners) for partner healthcare facilities.

The organization is a non-profit foundation (Stichting) registered in the Netherlands with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK: 55894755), with a post address at Maassluisstraat 574A, 1062 GZ Amsterdam. It is fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport), generates no commercial revenue, and provides the service free of charge with no obligation. The go-to-market motion is community-led rather than sales-driven, relying on the embedded trust of regional expert teams within local healthcare ecosystems, word-of-mouth referrals among patients, families, and professionals, and printed/online awareness assets in lieu of paid advertising.

Name

Breinlijn

Legal name

Stichting LOHL

Website

https://breinlijn.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Breinlijn is the Dutch national helpline for non-congenital brain injury (NAH), operated by Stichting LOHL. It connects patients, families, and professionals free of charge to one of 16 regional brain injury expert teams via phone or online contact form, with callbacks within two working days.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Helpline and Brain Injury Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Safety Check-Ins, Wellness Calls & Monitoring (Non-Clinical) (HSABAAAG)

Keywords

• Brain injury helpline
• Non-congenital brain injury support
• Patient referral services
• Healthcare advisory helpline
• Regional brain injury teams

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government funding: Breinlijn is fully funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport). The service is free for all users and generates no commercial revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Breinlijn is a free, national Dutch helpline service for people with non-congenital brain injury (NAH), their families, and healthcare professionals. Callers reach the service by phone (085-225 02 44) or via an online question form, and based on their postal code are matched with a regional brain injury expert from one of 16 regional teams across the Netherlands who provides free, independent, and confidential advice and referrals to appropriate local care and support within 2 working days.

Product overview

Breinlijn is a single, unified national helpline service (not a software platform) that provides free, independent, and confidential advice to people with non-congenital brain injury (NAH), their relatives, and professionals. The service consists of two contact channels: a toll-free telephone helpline (085-225 02 44) and an online question form. Both channels connect users to brain injury experts from one of 16 regional teams across the Netherlands, who match callers with regional specialists best suited to their location and needs. Breinlijn does not provide medical diagnoses or treatment decisions; its role is advisory and referential, guiding users to appropriate care, support, and relevant services in their region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Breinlijn Helpline A free national helpline (phone: 085-225 02 44) connecting people affected by non-congenital brain injury (NAH), their families, and professionals with regional brain injury experts from one of 16 regional teams across the Netherlands. Experts provide independent, confidential advice and refer callers to appropriate care, support, and official agencies in their region.
• Online Question Form An online contact form on the Breinlijn website that allows users to submit questions about non-congenital brain injury. Based on the user's postcode, the question is routed to the regional brain injury expert team covering their area, who contacts the user within 2 working days with personalized advice and referral support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users receive a callback from a regional brain injury expert within 2 working days

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stichting LOHL (Landelijk Overleg Hersenletsel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreinlijn is an initiative of Stichting LOHL, the national coordination body that unites all 16 regional brain injury teams in the Netherlands. LOHL oversees the regional teams and provides the organizational backbone for Breinlijn's operations.
• 16 Regionale Hersenletselteams (Regional Brain Injury Teams)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreinlijn's core service is delivered through 16 regional brain injury teams, each consisting of specialists (revalidation physicians, CVA nurses, client supporters, social workers, neuropsychologists) who provide expert advice and referrals tailored to their specific region's care landscape. Regions include Amsterdam & Zaan, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen & Drenthe, Kennemerland & Meerlanden, Limburg, Midden-Brabant, Noord-Holland-Noord, Noordoost-Brabant, Overijssel, Utrecht-Gooi & Vecht, West-Brabant, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Zuidoost-Brabant.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stroke Association UK: UK charity supporting stroke survivors through helpline, information, and local service navigation. Highly comparable — stroke is a major cause of NAH and the operating model (helpline + regional expert referral) closely mirrors Breinlijn.
• Headway UK: UK charity providing helpline, information, and support services for people affected by brain injury. Direct cross-border peer — same brain-injury advisory and referral model, with comparable helpline-driven service delivery.
• Hersenstichting (Dutch Brain Foundation): Dutch national foundation focused on brain health and brain disorders. Closest comparable peer — operates in the same brain-injury/health navigation space in the Netherlands, though with a stronger research and prevention orientation.
• Synapse Australia: Australian national organization providing information, advocacy, and referral services for people with acquired brain injury. Same target population and helpline-based service model, in a different geography.
• Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA): US national brain injury organization operating a helpline and referral network connecting patients, families, and professionals to local resources. Closest US analog in mission and operating model to Breinlijn.

Emerging players

• Alzheimer Nederland: Dutch national organization providing information, helpline support, and regional referral for dementia patients and their families. Same Dutch national helpline-and-referral model, applied to a neurodegenerative condition with overlapping patient characteristics.
• KWF Kankerbestrijding (Dutch Cancer Society): Dutch national health charity operating a helpline (KWF Kanker Infolijn) that connects cancer patients and families to information and regional support. Same advisory/referral helpline archetype in the Netherlands, applied to a different disease.
• Hartstichting (Dutch Heart Foundation): Dutch national cardiovascular health organization with public information and support services. Comparable Dutch national health-information-and-referral archetype, focused on cardiovascular disease.

Others

• Patiëntenfederatie Nederland: Dutch umbrella patient-advocacy organization representing patient interests nationally. Not a direct peer in brain injury but a related ecosystem player in Dutch patient navigation and healthcare policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKn1nyFe6ltXhuG2gGl4DbQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breinlijn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Breinlijn