New partnership will promote healthcare innovation in the South West

The ‘Health Innovation and Education Cluster South West’ (HIEC SW) partnership is funded by the Department of Health. Together, the group 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.

Professor Peta Foxall, Director of Graduate Education Programmes at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (a joint entity of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth) said: “The success of our application to create a Health Innovation and Education Cluster means that we have the real potential to make a significant difference to the delivery of high quality healthcare in our region. This new partnership between the sectors of health, higher education and industry will be aligned with the specific needs of the NHS in the South West and focus on excellence in education and training to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based innovations for the direct benefit of healthcare users and providers.”

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.”

Over the next three years, the University is investing £80 million in five areas of interdisciplinary scientific research, one of which is ‘Translational medicine, personalised healthcare and public health’.

HIEC SW members (it is intended that membership be open to all in the region and will be refreshed regularly):

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