Centre hospitalier universitaire de Toulouse

The CHU of Toulouse, like all CHUs, is a healthcare institution associated with a university through a convention. It is responsible for a triple mission: healthcare and decease prevention, training healthcare professionals, and medical research.[5]

The CHU handles approximately 280,000 hospitalizations and 800,000 consultations each year, placing it fourth among French hospitals in terms of activity. It is the only CHU in the new Occitanie Ouest region, which means it is solely responsible for specialized care, representing fifty percent of its activity.

At the national level, the Toulouse CHU coordinates or is associated with nineteen rare disease reference centers and sixty-eight centers of expertise.

The Toulouse CHU plays a major role in oncology. Cancer treatment represents about a quarter of its activity. In 2014, it partnered with the Claudius Regaud Institute, a private cancer center in Toulouse, to form the University Cancer Institute of Toulouse (IUCT), a new model for the organization of care, research, and education in oncology. This collaboration between a public and a private institution strengthens the quality of care in the Occitanie Ouest region by providing patients with the best expertise close to their homes.[6]

The Toulouse CHU has expertise in telemedicine, which allows easier access to care for isolated individuals or those with mobility difficulties, thanks to innovative communication technologies and collaboration with healthcare professionals (general practitioners, specialists, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists).

The CHU, like all public hospitals, is a legal entity with administrative autonomy. It is managed by a director and a supervisory board. The director is assisted by an executive board. The CHU also has financial autonomy with its own budget. All personnel belong to the hospital civil service.[7]

The executive board is responsible for hospital management activities, while the supervisory board oversees control activities.

The director is the legal representative of the CHU. They are responsible for the overall management and leadership of the CHU. The director is appointed by decree, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. They have authority over personnel, validate expenses and revenues, and are responsible for the proper functioning of the services, except for areas under the responsibility of the supervisory board, executive board, or the medical establishment commission (CME).

The executive board is chaired by the director, with the president of the Medical Establishment Commission serving as the vice-president. The executive board develops the establishment project and approves the medical project prepared by the CME.

The members of the executive board come from CHU personnel, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, midwives, and dentists. This ensures that the expectations of healthcare professionals are heard and taken into account in the institutional decisions of the CHU.

The supervisory board is the decision-making body. It consists of three colleges, composed of elected representatives from local authorities, representatives of the medical staff and non-medical hospital staff, qualified individuals representing various professions within the CHU, and representatives of users. The supervisory board ensures the implementation of the CHU's strategic orientations. It exercises continuous control over its overall management and ensures its financial balance. All major actors in the hospital field are present on the supervisory board, allowing for a comprehensive view of the hospital and the expression of different perspectives.

The CHU also has consultative bodies:

• The CME: Medical Establishment Commission
• The CSIRMT: Commission on Nursing, Rehabilitation, and Medico-Technical Care
• The CSE: Social and Economic Committee, which replaced the Technical Establishment Committee (CTE) and the Hygiene, Safety, and Working Conditions Committee (CHSCT) on January 1, 2020
• The CLIN: Committee for the Fight against Nosocomial Infections
• The CLUD: Committee for the Fight against Pain

The Central Hospital University (CHU) of Toulouse is structured around three main categories of activity poles:[8]

There are thirty CHUs in France. In its report of December 17, 2018, the Court of Auditors noted that their care mission is carried out in a heterogeneous manner in terms of volume, activity, or types of procedures and does not always distinguish CHUs from other general hospitals.[9] To improve the provision of care, research, and deepen relationships with other healthcare establishments within their jurisdiction (GHT), the CHU of Toulouse, through its successive establishment projects, demonstrates a strong institutional commitment to providing care that meets the needs of the local population, playing its role in prevention by early detection of potential health problems, particularly through the emergency department (epidemics, disasters). The Quality, Safety, and Patient Relations Directorate of the CHU develops and implements a policy of continuous improvement in the quality and safety of care and medical devices, as well as the overall decarbonization of the CHU's activities. It ensures risk management to prevent and, if they occur, address adverse events related to the CHU's activities.

The mission of clinical research and technological innovation is carried out in close collaboration with faculties and research organizations (INSERM, CNRS, French Blood Establishment (EFS), National Institute for Agronomic Research for food safety, etc.). The CHU has established a Research and Innovation Directorate to respond to calls for medical research proposals and support numerous projects, either internally or in external cooperation with pharmaceutical or medical device industries, or in partnership with other academic research teams at the national or international level. The institutional dynamism has led to an increase in the number of ongoing protocols within the CHU. In 2021, a total of 2,255 ongoing research projects were counted.

The CHU of Toulouse has expertise in telemedicine, which enables easier access to healthcare for isolated individuals or those with difficulties in mobility. The recent opening of the e-health center has proven its effectiveness during the recent coronavirus pandemic. The CHU's medical emergency center also houses the French Maritime Medical Consultation Center. Every day, this center provides assistance to sailors navigating the seas and oceans worldwide in case of health issues or accidents, using radio communications that allow the transmission of sound and video.

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