Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona: how to transform a 500-year-old “hospitality” into a global children’s hospital

 

 

On July 12, 2022, a breakfast with Manel del Castillo, Managing Director of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona, ​​took place as part of the “Breakfasts with leaders in the health sector” series, organized by Roland Berger.

The presentation used during breakfast is shown below:

sjd. madrid. iriesgo. jul2022

 

A summary of the breakfast content is as follows:

Why was it possible to promote a change of these characteristics

All the changes were possible because management tools were available: precisely what most public hospitals in Spain lack.

Many of the things that we have been able to promote (internationalization, global hospital, etc.) could have been done by other public hospitals, but it is impossible without the appropriate management tools (autonomy and legal personality, personnel regime, etc.).

Hospital Sant Joan de Déu is a public hospital, but privately managed, therefore not subject to the management restrictions of most public hospitals

About us

Basic characteristics

  • Maternal and child Hospital
  • University Center University of Barcelona
  • Private non-profit
  • Arranged with the public system

Basic data

  • 320 beds
  • 2,800 professionals
  • 289 million euros budget

 

  • 25,672 admissions
  • 245,000 visits
  • 165,039 emergencies
  • 3,381 deliveries

The strategy

The evolution

  • 1867, Charitable Hospital
  • 1973 Pediatric General Hospital
  • 2004, Referral Hospital
  • 2012, Global Hospital

Evolution 2004-2021

  • Number of professionals, x 2.3
  • Activity, stable
  • Complexity, +36%
  • Teaching, x10 in terms of number of students
  • Research, x18 in terms of impact factor (IF)
  • Economic income, x3.5

Hospital Sant Joan de Déu accounts for more than half of hospital admissions in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is the hospital with the highest tertiary activity in Spain.

A significant percentage of patients are international, coming from the area of ​​Russia (37.3%), Europe (12%), Middle East (10%) and Latin America (20.9%).

The hospital receives 10-12 requests for assistance from international patients a day.

Regarding international activity, we believe that Spain as a country is very well positioned to compete in this field, since it offers very good technical quality (comparable to the best) at a very competitive price. As an example, for a treatment of Fallot, the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu charges 25,000 euros, while in any prestigious North American hospital the price is 250,000 dollars.

The center with the highest number of ERN accreditations (rare diseases) in Spain and the 6th in Europe.

Non-Cat-Salut healthcare billing has gone from 3.7 million in 2004 to 28.4 in 2021.

The drivers of these changes

Knowledge

  • Renewal of 80% of middle managers
  • Incorporation of therapeutic innovations: Card-T therapy Leukemia, oncolytic virus for retinoblastoma, etc.
  • Great research support

Humanism

  • A child never forgets a hospitalization
    • It can be a traumatic event
    • Or a positive experience even in difficult times
  • The keys to this humanistic approach are what are called the 4 Ps:
    • Parents
    • Play (game)
    • Pain
    • Professionals

Commitment

The bases of this commitment are:

  • Project
  • Values
  • Coherence (equity)
  • Leadership
  • Autonomy/participation
  • Support/recognition
  • Working conditions

Organizational innovation

  • Management model
    • Participatory model
    • Daily huddles
  • Digital transformation
    • Liquid hospital
    • Cortex (command center on the whole of the hospital’s activity, including follow-up of patients at home)
  • Infrastructures
    • Reform plan
  • Income Diversification
    • International activity
    • Fundraising

SJD Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona

A new building to house this new center, which cost 37 million euros, all of which were obtained through donations.

A mature fundraising model was developed, after some mistakes. The campaign began on February 15, 2017 and in 2022 this center has been launched.

The result of the fundraising was as follows:

  • Micro-donations, 1.8 M euros (6%)
  • Companies, 2.9 M euros (10%)
  • Founding donors, 25.3 M euros (84%)