NHS South West - Welcome to our region

The South West Strategic Health Authority exists to ensure that the NHS in the South West is run effectively – providing the highest quality of care to patients who live in the region.

Core to our role is ensuring that the NHS in the South West is not only run effectively but that NHS services, staff and organisations are developed to meet the needs of the future.

The Authority oversees a budget of £7.78 billion, which is used to care for the 5.1 million people who live in the South West. Every day more than a hundred thousand people are treated in hospital, see their GP or are cared for by the NHS and Social Care in the South West.
 
In 2008, the Strategic Health Authority published The Strategic Framework for Improving Health in the South West 2008/09 to 2010/11, setting out the most ambitious programme for improving quality across NHS South West through the delivery of 118 clearly defined ambitions.

These can only be delivered if NHS staff, working with patients and the public and their own local organisations, embrace new and innovative approaches to delivering services in the South West.

This website provides an introduction to NHS South West’s approach to innovation, sharing some examples of where innovation is helping to improve services for patients in the South West.

Our approach to innovation

Our regional vision – The Strategic Framework for Improving Health in the South West 2008/09 to 2010/11 – sets out 118 clear ambitions to improve health and healthcare in the region.

Improving Health: Ambitions for the South West, sets out each of those ambitions – covering every aspect of care from maternity to end-of-life care – and can be found in detail at http://www.southwest.nhs.uk/strategicframework.html

Achieving those ambitions will require NHS South West to embrace ever more inventive, innovative and cutting edge approaches to healthcare. Innovation – whether it be the successful invention of new products, testing new concepts or spreading good ideas that improve health in one area right across the region – will be key to successfully achieving each of the ambitions we have set.

In April this year, NHS South West announced a £2 million Innovation Fund to support frontline staff and organisations to grow and develop new ideas and to spread best practice – this will rise to over £20 million for the next four years.

In addition to this, the South West Strategic Health Authority has also set up NHS Innovations South West, designed to help local healthcare communities to foster a culture of innovation and enterprise by working with, training and supporting NHS frontline staff, providing entrepreneurial and business support to develop new ideas, and by bringing in expertise from other sectors such as academia and UK trade and investment businesses.

Examples of Innovation in the South West

Leading the way on health and social care

Achieving the ambitions set out in The Strategic Framework for Improving Health in the South West 2008/09 to 2010/11 cannot be achieved by the NHS alone.

Read more

Harvest Ward Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and the Bowman Low Secure Unit Cornwall Partnership Trust

The Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and Low Secure Unit at Bodmin Hospital aims to improve the range of activities available to patients, thereby improving their experience whilst detained under the Mental Health Act. The key objectives include maintaining patients’ cultural identities and connections with the local community, providing opportunities to use community-based services and promoting recovery.

To ensure the needs and concerns of patients were addressed, the units carried out a series of surveys and forums with both patients and staff. Other stakeholders, such as the Patient Advice and Liaison Service were included in the process.

Patients had typically reported they were not able to take advantage of their entitled leave. A Leave Coordinator position was then created to ensure patients access their leave, thereby promoting independence and boosting their social and life skills. An Activities Coordinator has also been appointed to increase the range of activities available.

These new positions were created with donations and through fundraising events.

The new services have enabled patients to connect with the local community and develop key skills such as basic literacy and numeracy. Many have taken advantage of training courses provided by Cornwall College and the
Eden Project, highlighting how the units are providing services beyond the traditional model of care.

Claire Bohr Paediatric Stoma Nurse University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children has introduced a Bowel Management Programme which has given children greater independence and improved their quality of life.

The equipment used in the programme is easy to manage and gives the children the confidence to be able to take part in normal childhood activities.

The innovative Bowel Management Programme promotes continence by teaching children to manage their own condition using specialist equipment previously only used for adults.

One mother whose child has been part of the programme, said: “Our lives have changed beyond belief.

“Our child has been able to attend parties and we can go anywhere as a family, as overnight stays are no longer a problem. We understood there would be tough times, but this programme has given us light at the end of the tunnel.”

Constipation and faecal incontinence account for about 25% of paediatric gastroenterology work. A small number of children who have tried conventional treatments remain resistant to the medical approach and until recently the only other option was surgery.

The programme team has produced paediatric guidelines and written information aimed at children to support Nurses teaching the system. An article was written for the Nursing Times and there are plans to set up a Nurse-led clinic and to extend the service to children in gastroenterology.

Interactive Emergency Trauma Whiteboard Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Through designing an interactive intranet-based software programme, called the Interactive Emergency Trauma Whiteboard, staff at Musgrove Park Hospital, lead by Dr Ian Sidwell, have created a system for arranging surgery for trauma patients to improve communications between surgeons and ward staff.

With support from the Trauma Coordinator, the Orthopaedic theatre, ward staff, surgeons, the anaesthetists and the hospital’s IT department, the software programme was developed to provide a ‘live’ list of trauma patients which can be viewed from anywhere within the Trust. Staff are able to view and edit the data and can see at a glance the plan for each patient – therefore significantly improving communications between surgeons and ward staff.

The programme has successfully reduced the number of double-booked and missed surgeries, as well as delays from admission to operation.
Previously, the hospital had relied on a normal whiteboard in theatre, with patient details and surgery dates written on the board by hand. This led to numerous problems, including information being accidentally wiped off and illegible hand-writing.

Since its introduction at Musgrove Park Hospital, other Trusts have expressed interest in introducing the programme. It is practical and easy to use and equally benefits both patients and staff, illustrating an innovative approach to theatre and patient flow management.

IT Services and Stroke Team The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The IT service and the stroke team at Royal Bournemouth Hospital have introduced a digital network project for the assessment and prompt treatment of stroke patients.

The Telemedicine Project has been implemented to help reduce the time taken for physicians to assess and administer treatment to stroke patients.

The technology enables immediate communication between the patient and physician, including accurate imagery to assist in deciding the most appropriate treatment as quickly as possible.

Although the technology is simple to use, finding the time to introduce it to the relevant staff proved quite challenging. To remedy this, members of the hospital’s IT service hosted information sessions in scheduled staff meetings, ensuring all users would have the training they needed.

Reviews are planned between the IT and stroke teams to monitor the progress of the project and investigate ways in which the system can eventually be used in other diagnostic fields to assist in patient care.

The technology is benefiting patients and physicians alike.

Emergency department staff are confident that appropriate action has been decided by a stroke specialist and physicians know that the on-call specialist will be able to treat the patients quickly.

This award recognises the development of an innovative health care technology that improves the delivery of services for patients, service users or carers.

Devonport Integrated Team Plymouth City Council and NHS Plymouth

Plymouth City Council and NHS Plymouth developed a new programme using technology to improve collaboration between adult social services, community health services and primary health care.

The project has improved the experience of care for older people and other adults with long term conditions and disabilities who need support to live at home.

The use of technology has been key to the success of the project, ensuring effective information sharing and communication between practitioners.
Adult social care IT systems and networks have been installed into an NHS building with new telecommunications systems to provide a single point of contact. IT software has been developed which allows access to the local IT network at the hospital, updated every 20 minutes, to identify admissions of patients.

In the first six months there was an 82% reduction in hospital admissions and feedback from service users has been excellent. One user said: ”This team treated me as an individual and didn’t assume that what was right for one person was necessarily right for another... it is refreshing to be under the care of a team who talk to each other and pass on information.”

Contact us:

Rob Checketts

Associate Director

Strategic Development Directorate

South West Strategic Health Authority

Tel:  01823 361267 / 07879491276

Email: rob.checketts@southwest.nhs.uk

Web : www.southwest.nhs.uk

Maria Hassard

Chief Executive

NHS Innovations South West

Tel: 01722 326006 / 07796171105

Email: maria.hassard@nisw.co.uk

Web : http://www.nisw.co.uk/Home.aspx