Who We Are
ECHO is grounded in the belief that we are stronger together and that the future of healthcare lies in teamwork and collaborative action. Children admitted to hospital face unique health challenges that are not always recognized or prioritized by larger health policy initiatives. ECHO was created to address some of these challenges and improve the health of children across Europe.
Defining the challenge
Children’s hospitals may operate in different markets but no matter if you are in Barcelona or Warsaw they all face similar challenges. These include:
- A demand from society to increase value
- Increasingly complex patients and costly technologies
- Challenges in monitoring, evaluation, and benchmarking
- A lack of research and innovation targeted at children in hospital
With these common challenges in mind in 2017 a small group children's hospital leaders established the European Children’s Hospitals Organisation.
A plan for action
To set the best course for ECHO and ensure our members are positioned to provide the highest quality care to the children they serve, ECHO’s strategic framework for 2018-2021 focuses on five interrelated lines including:
A complete version of ECHO's strategic plan is available for download in PDF below.
Building on our strategic plan ECHO published, Towards a Healthy Life Course for All - The importance of children’s hospitals in creating a healthier Europe, that outlines how ECHO can help address the health challenges children and young people in Europe face.
Towards a Healthy Life Course - full report
Towards a Healthy Life Course - executive summary
Funding and Transparency
ECHO is funded by member dues. For additional information on ECHO see the European Commission Transparency Registry, number: 601865937284-34.