In recognition of multidisciplinary integrated cancer care, translational and clinical cancer research of excellence at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH), Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), and Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron has been accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Centre, through its Accreditation and Designation (A&D) Programme.
Following an exhaustive external evaluation, having successfully complied with 85 standards and 343 sub-standards —both qualitative and quantitative—Vall d’Hebron is the first to receive this level of OECI accreditation in Spain. This accreditation also recognizes the specialized, continuing and tailored oncology training that Vall d’Hebron provides its professionals, as well as the undergraduate and postgraduate academic training in oncology developed through the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and other institutions.
Thanks to this prestigious recognition, Vall d’Hebron joins OECI’s network of some fifty leading certified cancer centers in Europe and beyond, including the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm (Sweden), Instituto Nazionale del Tumor de Milan (Italy), Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam (Netherlands), and the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre (UK).
The OECI accredited Comprehensive Cancer Centers work together to share best practices, identify patients’ needs, establish process markers and generate results that promote continuous improvement. These institutes are accredited for a period of five years, during which time each must follow monitor the certified performance indicators and implement a continuous improvement plan.
“OECI’s evaluation and accreditation as a comprehensive cancer centre considers all modalities of diagnosis, treatment and continued care of cancer patients with a patient-centered multidisciplinary approach shared by all healthcare professionals. It also prioritizes prevention, reflected by our focus on all citizens and not only people with cancer. We are truly honored that the Vall d’Hebron Hospital Campus is the first center in Spain to achieve this level of accreditation. This certification reflects our commitment to patients and our healthcare system of excellence,” says Josep Tabernero, Head of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital’s Medical Oncology Department and VHIO’s Director.
The evaluation process began in May 2021 when Vall d’Hebron became a member of OECI, which is a non-governmental organization founded in Vienna in 1979 with currently more than 120 members, including some of the most prestigious cancer centers in Europe.
Initially, Vall d’Hebron underwent a self-assessment process and provided documented evidence of its practices across nine domains different domains: governance, organization of quality systems, patient involvement, multidisciplinary management, prevention and early detection of cancer, diagnosis, treatment and care, translational and clinical research, and continued education and training in oncology.
From December 13 – December 14 2022, an external team of OECI auditors visited Vall d’Hebron to carry out their on the ground assessment. OECI granted accreditation to Vall d’Hebron as a Comprehensive Cancer Centre this year, which was officially announced on June 16.
“OECI accreditation reflects Vall d’Hebron’s purely multidisciplinary approach to cancer care for both pediatric and adult patients, where committees made up of professionals from different specialties decide on the best treatment strategy for each patient, our translational and clinical research programs, education and training of excellence, the monitoring of cancer patients throughout the evolution of their disease and the involvement and empowerment of patients throughout,” observes Claudia Valverde, a Medical Oncologist specialized in sarcomas at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, and a Clinical Investigator at VHIO.
“The OECI accreditation process has been an extremely stimulating experience, involving all professionals at Vall d’Hebron, not only those purely dedicated to oncology,” says Enriqueta Felip, Head of Section at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital’s Medical Oncology Department, and Principal Investigator of VHIO’s Thoracic Tumors Group: “It would not have been possible without the support of the Hospital’s management, the Quality, Processes and Innovation management, the Quality and Accreditation Units, as well as the involvement of VHIO and VHIR,” she concludes.
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