Regional Perinatal Equity Network celebrates first anniversary
News
Maternity and neonatal practitioners came together in the South West this month to celebrate one year since the launch of the Regional Perinatal Equity Network, marking the anniversary with talks on perinatal inequalities from speakers including obstetrician Dr Christine Ekechi, author Kim Thomas and the Positive Birth Company. The Regional Perinatal Equity Network (RPEN), a…
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Care home staff find the Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) empowers residents
News
GPs and care home staff see the Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) as positive and empowering for residents, according to an evaluation carried out by researchers at NIHR ARC West in collaboration with the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and published in Age and Ageing. To assess experiences with ReSPECT, researchers interviewed 16 GPs…
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The Collaborative digitally launches on World Mental Health Day
News
Today on World Mental Health Day (10 October) the launch of the brand-new name and visual identity for The Collaborative has taken place. The Collaborative (formerly known as the South of England Mental Health Collaborative – MHC) aims to improve the quality and safety of services for people with mental health conditions through the use…
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Launching the South West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative: building on work across the West of England
News
Join the online launch of our new and extended South West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative (SWLDC) on 3 October 2022, 1-2pm. Book your place here. The expanded collaborative, previously the West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative, will share learning and best practice across the South West with presentations including improving the outcomes of someone…
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Mark Juniper appointed as West of England AHSN’s new Medical Director
News
We’re delighted to announce that Mark Juniper has been appointed as the West of England AHSN’s new Medical Director. Mark will be joining the AHSN on 1 October 2022 on a three-year, part-time secondment from Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where he is Consultant Physician. With a long track record in supporting the work…
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Looking ahead to World Patient Safety Day 2022 focussed on medicines safety
Blog article
Ahead of World Patient Safety Day 2022, Jan Scott, Patient Safety Programme Manager, discusses how the West of England AHSN Polypharmacy Community of Practice (CoP) is tackling the challenge to reduce severe avoidable medication related harm. The AHSN held its first CoP in August 2022 with the second scheduled for November. Polypharmacy simply means many…
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New evaluation shows quality improvement project is improving care for premature babies
News
More mothers and babies born prematurely in South West England are receiving lifechanging care interventions thanks to an ambitious project designed to reduce brain injury and death in vulnerable preterm babies, according to a new evaluation. The project is also demonstrating how effective a quality improvement (QI) approach can be at improving perinatal care. Perinatal Excellence to Reduce…
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Getting the balance right on polypharmacy
Blog article
The AHSN Network recently launched the new national polypharmacy programme: getting the balance right. Here national Programme Manager, Amy Semple and Clinical Lead, Clare Howard discuss why we need to take action to address problematic polypharmacy and how the AHSN Network is supporting this important area of work. “As we live longer with more long-term…
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Bringing together mental health teams to improve patient safety
News
On 12 July the collaborative held an all-day learning event for mental health teams across the South of England. The event – which was held face to face for the first time in over 2 years – was an opportunity for sharing learning and networking, which has been particularly challenging for large geographic collaboratives during…
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Anne Pullyblank to step down as West of England AHSN Medical Director
News
Anne Pullyblank will be stepping down from her role as the AHSN’s Medical Director and a member of our board in the autumn. Anne has been involved with the West of England AHSN since we were first established, and has played an important role in shaping how we work, building our collaborative approach to lead…
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