Tuula Rintala
Director, Quality of Care and Advocacy
EBMT, European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Barcelona, Spain
Strategic plan development
The latter part of 2022 saw the EBMT developing a new strategy for 2023-26. Through a number of workshops including the EBMT Board, JACIE Committee, staff and the wider EBMT community, this presented an opportunity to reflect on the past and to consider the direction of travel for the next four-year period. For JACIE, this was an opportunity to learn from the past experiences and think of ways to meet some of the challenges ahead.
Mission
As we met and talked with our different stakeholders and asked what they thought was our mission, ‘the end goal’ – it was clear that although JACIE is firmly embedded in Europe, we are increasingly global and we are firmly focused in continuous improvement now that particularly in the European context many centers are undertaking even third and fourth reaccreditations. It was also clear that inclusivity was important to everyone important in process – whatever way we think of this – by professionals’ group, by country/continent -or any other parameter. The only thing we ask, is that you are involved in delivering cellular therapies. So, our overall goal is: ‘As a global community, continuously improve the cell therapy delivery for all involved.’
Objectives for 2023-26
Three objectives were agreed for JACIE as part of the strategic plan.
1. Encourage the culture of continuous improvement within the JACIE Community
We felt it was important to re-focus on the continuous improvement, which has really been at the heart of JACIE and the quality management approach from the beginning. We want to ensure that JACIE office leads by the example operationally, but also look for opportunities to use benchmarking as a tool to improve the processes whether in the context of clinical practice or the accreditation process.
2. Adapt the JACIE standards and accreditation process to meet our stakeholders’ needs
As the scientific landscape is evolving, it is important that we also assess and review both the Standards and the process in order to response to the needs of our stakeholders. Although the feedback from the Centres and the Inspectors is overall positive, it is clear that the lengthy accreditation process, particularly in the context of Immuno Effector Cells (IECs) and other Cellular therapies, is challenging. It therefore seems like an opportunity to review and to explore opportunities to develop potentially a more risk-based approach for those centers already on their third, fourth, accreditation cycles.
This objective also provides an opportunity to review our relationship with internal and external partners. We are exploring opportunities to embed JACIE further within the EBMT Governance structure and
3. Develop a global community through partnerships, education and training
The focus on this objective is on the development of our stakeholder relationships. We are very aware of the huge commitment our inspectors make contributing their time and efforts whether through the work in Standards development, Committees, or the through the Inspections.
Recognizing the pressures our volunteers face, we want to raise the awareness of the role of JACIE inspector within the EBMT and the wider Cellular Therapy community, and find ways to recognize and appreciate this important work. We have already updated the training format providing more flexibility for the trainees, and are currently working with the Inspector Committee on reviewing and updating resources and incentives to our inspectors. Further, we are exploring further training / educational opportunities for the ongoing development of our volunteer inspectors.
But, we also want to develop ways to support the Centers / Transplant Programmes going through the Accreditation process. If we are serious about reducing the length of time for the accreditation process, it is vital that all parties are clear about their roles and responsibilities in this process. As a first phase of this process, we are developing resources specifically aimed at staff in the transplant centers to steer them through the process from application to accreditation.
Next steps
The new strategic plan was approved in the Annual Meeting in Paris, April 2023, by the General Assembly. Although the Strategic Goal and Objectives are ambitious, they also feel relevant and appropriate for this time. We are looking forward to working with our different stakeholders for the next four years.
Further reading
https://www.ebmt.org/ebmt/documents/ebmt-strategic-plan-2023-2026
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