1. Why has CLB chosen this European approach?

Irène Philip The point of this accreditation is to have the CLB acknowledged as European Comprehensive Cancer Centre among European cancer institutes, so that it can later be acknowledged for its excellence in translational research.

2. How is it audited?

We started with a self-evaluation of our work to bring to light how patient cancer care and their experience as a patient was coordinated. This evaluation also took into account our involvement in research, ties between the research and the clinical side, as well as the quality of our education mission. Following this step, 4 auditors mandated by the European organization visited the different sections of our institution to validate our self-evaluation.

The visit allowed us to check the effi ciency of the ties between the teams, our focus on patients and on their experience with us, and the relationships between researchers, doctors and patients. In summary, the visit allowed us to verify the quality of everybody’s daily work.

3. What happens next?

A first round of feedback has been sent to us by the auditors following the visit. Their report, received in February 2017, suggests some areas for possible improvement. The work required to make the improvements where needed is already under way. This is a continuous process and we expect another visit in 4 to 5 years. The accreditation was made offi cial at a ceremony during the OECI General Assembly on June 23, 2017 (Brno, Czech republic).