This new partnership will benefit the care of patients in the region through health-related education, research, shared knowledge and expertise.
BFT was formed earlier this month with the merger of North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), with both Trusts having long-standing relationships with the University of Bristol dating back many years. Both organisations have a strong focus on teaching and learning with academics and clinicians working across the NHS and the University of Bristol.
This new partnership will benefit the care of patients in the region through health-related education, research, shared knowledge and expertise.
Currently the University is inspiring and training the next generation of clinicians including 1,600 medical students and 400 dentists, 20 dental nurse trainees, and about 20 dental hygienists and therapists, while BFT has a workforce of 28,000.
Joint projects by BFT and the University have included impactful trial outcomes such as the PReCept project which saw a simple intervention to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies, developed at UHBW and rolled out nationally – latest figures show it's protected more than 22,000 babies.
The CAP/Protect trials carried out by the University and NBT has shaped this month's decision around prostate cancer screening and has dramatically changed treatment offers for men with localised disease.
Work has also been done to tackle health inequalities such as a roll out of a national genetic test to reduce to the risk of donor kidney failure from potential donors of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage.
The University of Bristol in partnership with UBHW is also taking part in a new £50 million 'Inequalities Challenge Consortium' launched by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to support research into addressing inequalities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) which accounts for 26% of all deaths in the UK.
Chief Executive of BFT, Maria Kane, and Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, Professor Evelyn Welch, have signed a formal memorandum of understanding. This will focus on key outcomes that will address the three strategic shifts outlined in the UK Government's 'Ten Year NHS Plan': moving care from hospitals to local communities, shifting from analogue to digital services, and pivoting from treating sickness to proactive prevention:
In prevention we will:
- Identify areas of complementary research and clinical excellence so we can build a joint clinical research, innovation and commercialisation strategy between the Group and the University
- Provide access for patients and local communities to the latest prevention research being carried out in the city.
In analogue to digital we will:
- Build a strategic partnership where the wealth of data we collectively collect can be utilised safely and securely along with the power of artificial intelligence to improve patient health and care in the region.
In hospital to community
- Explore how we can use our collectively skills and infrastructure to ensure patients are treated in the community wherever possible in new Neighbourhood Health Hubs
- Diversify our combined workforces (staff and students) and adapt rapidly as the model of delivery of NHS care changes.
Professor Evelyn Welch said: "The University of Bristol has always had a deep and trusted partnership with the NHS in the city and surrounding areas. This new agreement will build on and develop this crucial relationship in the context of the newly formed Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. We look forward to working with them and the communities we serve to design and deliver new models of healthcare and medical education, training and research."
Maria Kane added: "We have a great history of working with the University of Bristol and it feels quite special for Bristol NHS Foundation Trust to be signing this Memorandum of Understanding, giving us a clear foundation and shared ambition. I am incredibly proud of our collaboration over the decades and now we look to the future and how our partnership will continue to thrive to benefit the communities we serve, shape the future of healthcare and the next generation of professionals within it."
