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. 

The Campus promotes the improvement of the experience and services for citizens and professionals, with measures that allow the most urgent shortcomings in our environment to be addressed, in line with sustainability criteria. In this sense, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus is developing projects to become a more accessible and smart campus.

We are working to bring the Campus in line with the national and international benchmark we represent. Our environment must work alongside us, projecting towards the new needs for the future and preparing us for the new challenges of public health over the next 20 years.

The surroundings

The surroundings affect our level of service and patient experience. That is why the new Smart Campus model we are working on will guarantee its environmental sustainability and accessibility to the public. Changing the architecture throughout the Campus, establishing an architecture of unique buildings that symbolise the medicine of the future, opening up the hospital to the neighbourhood.

We are building a people-friendly Campus, providing green spaces and taking advantage of natural resources. Restricting traffic flow and rearranging the flow of authorised vehicles, as well as a better flow of goods.

All this is being planned in the context of the new VHIR building, which includes rearranging and reassessing the Campus buildings, evaluating them and applying sustainability measures aimed at efficiency and energy savings, constant maintenance and reduction of management costs.

“Smartcare”

Vall d’Hebron is actively incorporating mobile technology into its relations with patients and staff, as a tool to improve medical care, research, teaching, patient relations and, ultimately, contribute to improving the public health system.

The flagship app of the Vall d’Hebron Campus is a project that serves to put the healthcare system at patients’ fingertips. It facilitates access to and being on campus, with useful information about logistical aspects such as timetables, maps and contact details; it shares news, activities and other information of interest about the Campus, and incorporates a private patient area.

This private area, which will be called “My Vall d’Hebron”, will allow the patient to track their history of appointments, operations, tests, etc., and invite other people to share this information. The top functionality that “My Vall d’Hebron” incorporates is the ability to track operations.

To improve professionals’ communication and knowledge, the Campus has also developed the We Are Vall d’Hebron application, and is partnering in the development of other applications to facilitate the relationship and experience of patients and citizens.

Smart process management

“Smart” also means using technologies and new methods to accelerate and optimise processes. From connecting facilities, which allows smarter management, to organising work processes (relationships between staff, leadership, group working in the cloud, use of Big Data and global management systems).

At Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, innovation is essential in ensuring that our services and patient care are of the highest quality and at the forefront of current medical trends. Our strength in healthcare, research and teaching means we constantly incorporate new knowledge, generating value not just for patients but for professionals and the wider organisation. This strategic emphasis drives us to overcome new challenges in social and health care, improving sustainability and efficiency in the health system.

This strategy has led to the following concrete results: the creation of 18 spin-offs and start-ups; the transfer of 74 patents; the implementation of 12 projects thanks to the 'Jo innovo' competition; and the participation of over 400 patients and professionals in co-creation processes. The figures demonstrate our commitment to applied innovation and its capacity to generate a real impact.

To drive the culture of innovation in the Campus, we promote initiatives such as the 'Jo innovo' Competition: a space where our professionals can present and develop innovative ideas that transform clinical practice and hospital organisation. The winners receive specialised training and the opportunity to discover innovative ecosystems in other European hospitals, through the European University Hospitals Alliance (EUHA).

To learn more about our innovation projects and initiatives, visit this section.