In this section we present a general overview of the facilities and the activities carried out in Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.


History

 Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the leading hospital complex in Catalonia, has come into being through a dynamic process of development that began with an initial hospital nucleus conceived in 1947 and officially opened in 1952. Vall d’Hebron started out as a general hospital and was first defined as a “residence” which afforded it the nature of an all-round health facility within the State hospital network.

The evolution of health care in the 60’s, particularly concerning diagnosis and treatment, prompted the creation of a new institutional model that included areas of support and new, more specialized hospitals. Besides the General Hospital, which now covers all the internal medicine specialties and related surgical activity, the Maternity and Children's Hospitals (later combined into a single center) and the Traumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital were created. These were later joined by the Clínica Quirúgica Adrià (Adrìa Surgical Clinic).

New teaching and administrative centers were erected, as were laboratories and other facilities. The initial primitive area in the northwest of Barcelona, against the backdrop of the Collserolla hills, was gradually transformed into a veritable health care city, linked to the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital now comprises a complex of over 20 buildings, equipped with sophisticated instruments and where thousands of people work and are attended every day.

This concentration of ancillary facilities and state-of-the-art technology should not make us forget that the hospital and the professionals employed therein still form the heart of the institution, and that the entire support network is geared towards accomplishing a single goal: health assistance of the highest quality.

Thanks to the professional excellence of the people who work there, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has become a national referral center, particularly for highly complex cases (major burns and transplantions), and are internationally recognized for research activity. The scientific quality of the work carried out has situated Vall d'Hebron University Hospital among the leaders in Spanish ranking.

Over the course of this history, the evolution of the “residence” has reflected that of Catalan and Spanish society. Socio-economic and cultural levels have improved. Some classic diseases and illnesses have disappeared (e.g. poliomyelitis, measles, dehydration), but new ones have emerged (drug-dependence, AIDS). The exceptional capacity shown by the professionals past and present of the Vall d’Hebron to adapt and respond to these challenges has contributed greatly to optimizing the quality of the services provided.

A new era is unfolding in Catalan public health, leading to a more competitive health care model. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital is prepared to continue the process of ongoing transformation that will enable it to adapt to the changes of the post- industrial society and to the needs of the citizens of Catalonia.


The mission and values

In the 21st century, in a complex social scenario with a constantly changing framework, the organization and management of health care institutions will increasingly consist of a permanent process of adaptation to the overall and individual needs of the population being served. A veritable river of innovations will continue flowing over our society at a dizzying speed; public health care institutions must accept these challenges or be condemned to disappear.

While accepting the challenges, we must prepare our response. In order to overcome the problems imposed by the uncertainty of the future, we must explicitly define our solution and have a clear, coherent vision of the best way to achieve it. This can only be done if we recognize the task that has been assigned to us, define our values, determine what we aspire to (our vision) and establish a strategic plan.

Our task and values constitute the basis of action. The role that a health institution like the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has to represent in Catalan society is based on its task and on values we all must share. This is our reason for being. From this point of departure we can establish our vision, that is, what we aspire to be. This institutional mission must be clear to us since without it we would not be able to design the policies, actions and activities that will enable us to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

However, all changes must be made within the structure determined by reality. Our present situation demands budget constraints, improvements in health care quality, adaptation to demographic changes, modification of health care patterns according to the emergence of new health problems, innovative treatments, new service modalities, and the incorporation of increasingly sophisticated medical technology. Large hospitals, such as Vall d’Hebron, must demonstrate that it is possible to reconcile the efficient use of resources with scientific and technological innovation and improvements in health care quality.

What is Vall d'Hebron University Hospital (our mission)

  • Vall d’Hebron is a health care institution within the Catalan public health care system, with a social purpose and essential objectives. It contributes to the territorial articulation of the system from an integral and integrated vision of health care resources.

  • Vall d’Hebron has become one of the foremost health care complexes in Catalonia and Spain, and is internationally recognized in many fields. Thus, it must be equipped with an organizational system that guarantees efficient functioning and excellent service at all times.

  • In addition, Vall d’Hebron focuses on differential scientific and technical knowledge, based on accumulated experience and professional skill. This means that the institution has to maintain a capacity for change, encourage specialization and employ increasingly sophisticated technical resources.

  • The essential raison d’être for Vall d'Hebron University Hospital is to provide assistance to patients and their families. Vall d’Hebron attends to all the health problems originating in its direct area of influence as well as those which, because of their complexity or special requirements, are beyond the capacity of other hospitals.

  • Regarding the former point, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital serves as a platform that enables research and teaching to fully revert their benefits to the society.

What does Vall d'Hebron University Hospital aspire to be (our vision)

  • A large institution dedicated to health, education and research, organized around specialized health care. Vall d’Hebron should evolve toward a horizontal-type health care configuration, based on process management and clinical responsibility. The center should adapt its spectrum of services to current demand by promoting alternatives to hospitalization, providing greater dimension to the offer and developing new modalities. Research and teaching activity should also be promoted.

  • A complex comprised of several centers, with multiple services and decentralized financial management, having high-quality hospitalization facilities and establishing stable relations with other centers in the line of community-oriented services. A policy should be designed that includes integrated health care, coordination with primary care centers and collaboration with other hospitals.

  • A health care institution with a powerful external projection, linked to technical skill and excellent services. To maintain its prominent position and to improve quality, it is necessary to apply a sustained program of investment in infrastructure and equipment, including reformation of buildings and acquisition of state of the art instruments.

  • A center that actively participates, directly or through stable affiliations or accords, in the territorial integration of resources (i.e. with primary care institutions and with other centers and lines of service), in order to become a main articulator of health care within the community.

  • A modern service center with broad organizational flexibility and advanced technology and management systems that provides services which are competitive in quality and cost, and satisfactory to the client. To achieve this goal, the center must count on sufficient funding and should be able to balance the results of its activity.

  • A large group of people who work together for others. Thus, development of the professional and human potential of all its members, based on enhancing the qualities each one has to offer, constitutes the most solid contribution to the future and the best guarantee for the citizens served.

 

Our values

  • Expert. Expertise denotes knowledge and professional practice. Skill should permeate all aspects - health care, teaching, research, organization, financial management, etc. - and should culminate in high-quality practice.

  • Hospitable. An institution is hospitable when it provides attentive treatment in a comfortable setting that is within everyone’s reach. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital must be entirely accessible to patients and their family members, and should encourage sincerity and humanity in its professional teams. Moreover, internal organization should be completely open.

  • Supportive. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital should base its obligation on supportive, unified collaboration among its professionals and on interaction with other institutions and with the citizens it serves.
 

 



Basic data concerning hospital activity (2003)