We set out to meet the needs of the patient immediately with energy efficient buildings and an environment that facilitates recovery. This is known as a “healing environment”.

Factors such as good air conditioning and insulation of facilities, green spaces, adequate signage or the use of natural light are key to the design of a hospital. That is why Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has launched initiatives such as the new Neurology Department, with spaces painted in pastel and relaxing colours, lights that are regulated according to patients’ visual needs and computer-controlled air conditioning.

The Intensive Care Medicine Department is committed to the humanisation of the Intensive Care Unit of the General Hospital, with the installation of smart TVs and provision of smart watches. It has been proven that these items make the patients feel more comfortable and facilitate their treatment.

Other examples of humanisation at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital are: the decoration of the Children’s Hospital and the Women’s Hospital; the use of organic food waste from the hospital kitchen for biomass; and the installation of thermal solar panels that will later be replaced by photovoltaic panels.

In the digital field, we also have the Vall d’Hebron Channel. The channel is free and accessible to everyone who has been admitted to the hospital. Inpatients are able to watch health promotion and prevention videos, conceived to help them adopt healthy habits.

Moreover, to reduce immobility levels, physical exercises are displayed on the screens which encourage patients to stay mobile. Finally, to prevent insomnia, inpatients can also view relaxation exercises on the screens.

We are constantly striving to improve coexistence on the Campus, putting the patient at the centre. We are working to reduce noise, reduce atmospheric emissions, reduce waste and reduce energy consumption.

In short, humanising hospital care means adapting to the needs of patients through buildings that welcome them and respond to their requests.

As a leading hospital complex, we maintain a commitment to patients based on transparency, active risk management and a rapid response should an incident arise. 

In this context, the Safety Commission is working towards a Safety Model centred around patients and professionals, guaranteeing that it will:

• Propose and prioritise strategies in the area of safety of patients and professionals
• Promote improvement actions related to the safety of patients and professionals
• Be responsible for monitoring indicators of the safety of patients and professionals and evaluating the results

The patient is just as important as the professional caring for them. For this reason, we join forces in risk management throughout the whole healthcare process to maximise benefits and minimise injury. With this intention, we supervise and adapt care teams to detect risks during handovers (shift changes, duty changes). We bring together care teams to share patient information and encourage notices as a method of risk and incident communication.

Besides this, in order to learn from our mistakes, we monitor the results of safety issues through a series of indicators (both for patients and professionals) and apply proposed improvements according to the results. Treating professionals fairly implies, among other things, providing training on an ongoing basis. We therefore have a training programme to provide an adequate response individually and collectively.

Finally, looking to the future, we are preparing ourselves for the implementation of telematic notification of complaints and incidents detected by patients. Their opinion is essential to improve the organisational structure and the scope of the measures in our security model.

The Catalan Network of Oncology treats 60% of cancer patients in Catalonia. It is made up of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) and the Catalan Oncology Institute (ICO). On the one hand, the ICS runs two large hospitals offering cancer care: Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Arnau Vilanova University Hospital. The ICO, meanwhile, can be found in Hospitalet, with centres in Girona, Badalona, Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l’Ebre.

The Network was born from the desire to become a world benchmark against cancer. A benchmark for innovation, research and care in Europe and the world. The Catalonia Health Plan 2016-2020 defines cancer as one of the region’s health priorities. It establishes strategic alliances and resource concentration to strengthen networks between leading tertiary centres and hospitals in the territory.

The Catalan Network of Oncology care model works on the following lines:

• Frequent tertiary tumour programme: encompasses all care activity related to patients already diagnosed and the conventional therapeutic process.
• Rare tumour programme: therapeutic plan applied to patients with rare tumours
• Clinical research programme: includes all treatment within a clinical trial
• Palliative care: care aimed at improving the quality of life of people with cancer
• Associated Oncology Pharmacy Unit: improvement in the management capacity of the pharmacy, both in purchasing policies and in the management of service provision
• Hospital tumour register and information systems: integration of information from different centres with the aim of facilitating a shared information unit

This model is reflected in that of other world leaders in cancer treatment. It uses precision medicine, which allows for personalised treatment to be provided; and knowledge management, which facilitates data recording, the assessment of results and the transfer of information between professionals.