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New partnership will promote healthcare innovation in the South West

Press release issued: 19 January 2010

Health innovation in the South West will become more effective, thanks to a new government-funded partnership comprising universities, NHS organisations and industry. The alliance will help promote new developments in health including maternity and newborn care.

Health innovation in the South West will become more effective, thanks to a new government-funded partnership comprising universities, NHS organisations and industry. The alliance will help promote new developments in health including maternity and newborn care.

Funded by the Department of Health, the University of Bristol is one of sixteen1 organisations across the region that will form the ‘Health Innovation and Education Cluster South West’ (HIEC SW) partnership. Together, they will shape an integral part of the academic health alliance that is key to the region’s future by ensuring effective and timely implementation of new developments in health.

HIEC SW’s vision is to promote uptake and diffusion of innovation into healthcare, to measure the improvement in quality of outcome achieved, and to ensure the development of a workforce that is actively engaged in innovation. 

HIEC SW will focus initially on three key areas of work that are also priorities for the Strategic Health Authority, these are:

  • Maternity and newborn care
  • Planned care
  • Prevention – avoiding needless emergency admissions to hospital

One of 17 clusters announced by Health Minister, Ann Keen, in December, HIEC SW will share £11 million of funding in the first year.

Peter Mathieson, Dean of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol said: “This is a very pleasing demonstration of the power that we have as a biomedical community in this region if we work together.  We will work with the Strategic Health Authority to ensure that the HIEC SW brings tangible benefits to the population of the South West and to the workers in the sector.”

John Bewick, Director of Strategic Development at the South West Strategic Health Authority, said: “We are looking forward to working with the universities and NHS organisations in the South West to accelerate the pace of service improvement for local people.”

 

Further information

1. University of Bristol, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry University of the West of England, University of Exeter, University of Plymouth NHS Bristol, University Hospitals Bristol North Bristol NHS Trust, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust, South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, Severn Deanery, South Western Peninsula Deanery

2. HIECs are cross-sector partnerships between NHS, higher education, industry and other public and private sector organisations. They will support the spread and adoption of innovation locally and strengthen professional education and training.

Please contact Sadia Rooney for further information.
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