The European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) with its mission to improve survival and quality of life for people with CF strongly supports professional and educational activities that help improve the CF care in every European country. The ECFS patient registry output data show considerable discrepancy in clinical outcomes across Europe and to address this issue, the ECFS proposes the project of a long-term site-to-site partnership where one CF site guides, advises and helps another CF site to optimise the care for CF patients.
Call for Applications for the Twinning Expansion Project
Deadline: 31 January 2024, 23.59 CET
Open to: Any CF care-providing establishment in a European country (according to Countries | World Health Organization (who.int)) who is interested in getting guidance, advice and collaboration of a well-established CF centre.
Description: The Twinning Expansion project aims to build up a friendship and partnership between two CF sites: one of them being an expert CF centre with a long-term outstanding history in CF care ("mentor site"), and the other one ("mentee site") being a site which has an ambition to improve clinical outcomes and welcome the guidance, advice and collaboration of a well-established CF centre.
The application for the Twinning Expansion project is open from 18 December 2023 to 31 January 2024.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Please download the mentee application form below, fill it out and send it to this address: education@ecfs.eu by 31 January 2024.
TIMELINE FOR THE CALL
- Call: 18 December 2023 until 31 January 2024 23:59 CET
- Evaluation and selection: February 2024
- Results: February 2024
Twinning Expansion letter to Mentee site
AIM AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
The Twinning Expansion project (TEP) is a three-year collaboration between CF Europe (CFE) and ECFS building on the ECFS Twinning project launched in 2020 to improve patient care, aiming at better access to high quality, multidisciplinary CF care and optimal treatment.
The aim of the TEP is to address gaps in clinical outcome discrepancy across Europe by building a long- term collaborative partnership between Mentor and Mentee sites and address specific needs of the mentee site to optimise patients' clinical outcomes.
The TEP will also engage patient organisations (POs), who will play pivotal role in identifying and addressing unmet needs (e.g. adult care, trained healthcare professionals), facilitating communication, and identifying possible mentee sites. Well-resourced patient organisations with advanced advocacy, digital expertise and capabilities will provide support to those patient organisations needing more support or training. As well as the twinned pairs building their partnership, the project also aims to support and facilitate networking between POs and CF centres participating in the project.
The TEP’s points of action are:
1. Establish new CF centre mentor and CF centre mentee sites with the aim of facilitating collaborations and exchanges between the twinned pairs
2. Identify unmet needs in CF care in the mentee sites and formulate feasible goals
3. Connecting participating CF centres to ECFS learning resources and creating translations of these resources into relevant languages
4. Facilitate knowledge sharing and networking opportunities between CF centres and POs in different regions
It is expected of the new twinning pair that the mentor site will organise at least one visit to the mentee site within the first six months. The visit will include a CF physician and possibly a CF nurse and/or other CF team members. The aim of the visit is to establish a partnership, to get an overview of the mentee site, to discuss unmet needs and opportunities, and build on this to develop further twinning. The duration of the TEP for new sites is one year. After one year, a summary report will be prepared and submitted jointly by both sites and will serve as the basis for the continuation of the funding.
GRANT DURATION
The twinning pair will be initially funded for 12 months.
Upon the review of the summary report, the grant and financial support can be renewed by one year. The pair has the option to submit summary reports every year and thus, to ask for yearly funding repeatedly. If approved by the ECFS Board, this will entitle the participants to get longer-term funding.
FUNDING SUPPORT
Up to Euro 2,000, in the first year of the project, is available for the costs of travel and accommodation for the purpose of site visits (both mentee and mentor sites). The expenses will be refunded via expense claim forms where original receipts/invoices need to be attached and submitted to the CFE Twinning Coordinator. Other eligible costs beside travel and accommodation include onsite translator services if needed.