A single medical council as the logical next step in shared progress
The Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B), consisting of the Erasmus Hospital, the Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola University Children's Hospital, employs more than 800 doctors. To improve collaborations, inter-departmental communication and care pathways, at the end of December these doctors voted to set up a single Medical Council. An initiative seen as a logical next step and that respects the identities of each hospital. This form of transverse representation of the medical staff makes it possible to support both respective and common projects in the interests of medicine, both today and into the future.
All the doctors represented within the same body
The attachment of each hospital to the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) already enabled the three medical councils to cooperate regularly in the past. The creation of the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B) as an academic hospital for the City of Brussels in October 2021 served to consolidate this cooperation. Common governance was therefore soon seen as the logical next step. Thus, on 20 December 2020, doctors from the Brussels University Hospital (H.U.B) came together and opted, by more than 80% of votes, to deploy a single medical council. This form of representation of the medical staff within the hospital governance aims to facilitate and improve inter-departmental cooperation and promote an efficient sharing of activities. The future doctors' representatives on this single Medical Council will be appointed when new elections are held at the start of the next academic year. Voting will be by electronic means.
Unifying while respecting the identity of each hospital
The role of the Medical Council is to coordinate medical activities, promote quality care and harmonise patient pathways that are accessible to all within the hospital networks while maintaining the spirit of cooperation between the doctors. Although the Brussels University Hospital is deployed through its governance and its transversality, the desire to preserve the identity of each institution, for both staff and patients, remains a priority. Each of these constituent institutions is recognised nationally and internationally for its medical projects and innovations, whether oncological, paediatric or specialised.
The communication challenge
Regular meetings of all the H.U. B doctors are needed to ensure that the deployment of a common medical project is a shared experience. The existence of two distinct hospital sites (Anderlecht and Laeken) remains the biggest challenge in terms of communication for the teams, especially when members of the medical staff must be present physically. Using the right means of communication at the right time remains a key issue in ensuring the smooth functioning of the institution.
A union in keeping with the triple mission: care, research and teaching
As a university structure with many researchers and research physicians, the Brussels University Hospital offers a stimulating environment that permits the continuous recruitment of young specialists. A youth that has a vital place within the institution and to which established staff are always attentive. The medical staff also interact very closely both with the paramedical teams and support services (data processing, human resources, etc.) as well as with GPs, with the aim of always guaranteeing the best care for the patients.