This task is being led by the Irish Medicines Board and will involve two two-day workshops (one in Ireland, the second in Poland) and a series of exchange visits to observe inspections of tissue establishments in other MS.

Workshop 1

Workshop 1 was held in Ireland in May 22-23 2007. The programme included interactive techniques that were used during the workshop to ensure full participation. Each partner sent up to 2 representatives and 10 further experts were invited from organisations such as tissue establishment regulators from Member States not represented in the project, PIC/S Expert Circle in Blood and Tissues, JACIE and SANCO. Member States were advised to send one experienced inspector and one representative of the competent authority responsible for policy making in the field.

Member States that have tissue establishment inspection systems in place were asked to present the system, including its strengths and weaknesses, during this 2-day workshop and participants explored the advantages and disadvantages of different systems presented. Workshop methods ensured an active participation from all present. The presence of external experts provided the opportunity for interactive debates and exchange of experiences.

Go to the Programme of the two days workshop

Workshop 2

The second workshop will be merged with two other project activities to comprise a major Final Conference for the project which will be held in Warsaw in the first week of December.  The meeting will incorporate the final meeting of the Vigilance and  Surveillance Medical Advisory Committee, the second Exploratory Workshop and the final meeting of the project partners.  This event will bring together many individuals and organisations who have participated in the project by attending inspector training courses or V&S MAC meetings, by participating in the V&S pilot or by commenting on various draft documents developed by the project.  The final results of the V&S Pilot will be presented and case studies of individual Member State’s progress with inspections will be examined.   It will be an opportunity to review the progress that has been made since the first EUSTITE Exploratory Workshop  in Dublin in May 2007.  The Warsaw Conference will be a celebration of the work and achievements of the project but it will also be an invaluable opportunity to plan for future collaboration in this field.