Our partnership reflects core Bristol values
Our chair Andrea Young reflects on what 2018-19 has meant for Bristol Health Partners, a key year in our seven-year history. Andrea is also Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust.
- 1st July 2019
Our chair Andrea Young reflects on what 2018-19 has meant for Bristol Health Partners, a key year in our seven-year history. Andrea is also Chief Executive of North Bristol NHS Trust. This blog is Andrea’s foreword to the 2018-19 Bristol Health Partners annual review.
This last year has been significant for Bristol Health Partners. We have signed a new partnership agreement which secures the future of our partnership for the next three years.
This is significant because this is the first time that this agreement has been refreshed since the partnership started in 2012. The agreement underpins Bristol Health Partners, which represents an unprecedented co-operation between our city region’s health, care and research organisations. The new agreement demonstrates that, after seven years, the partners still recognise the value and uniqueness of Bristol Health Partners.
Our partnership reflects some core Bristol values: co-operation, working together, sharing and learning from each other, striving for improvement. It has endured because we, the partners, are the owners. It’s not prescribed from above: it’s our voluntary effort alone.
I am excited that we’ve got two new Health Integration Teams (HITs) in the pipeline, to join our HIT stable. I am looking forward to these coming to fruition in the year ahead. This is an affirmation that, seven-years in, the HIT approach is still an amazingly effective way of collaborating and making things happen in our city region. I would like to personally thank all the members of our HITs who embody this way of working.
Our work in ‘using data better’ goes from strength to strength. Our mapping of local health data sources has concluded, and 2018 saw a large public event bring together experts, including Ben Goldacre, to talk about how to get artificial intelligence in health and care right. We have pioneered training for members of the public to help them understand the complex world of health data, so that they can play an informed part in debates about how their data is used. This training is attracting interest at a national level.
I want to extend special thanks to the partnership’s Chief Operating Officer, Lisa King. She has been with the partnership almost since its inception, and this last year has grown into her new role, bringing great energy and passion to everything she does. On behalf of the Board, I want to say how pleased I am that we have been able to enable Lisa’s considerable talents to shine through and to secure her leadership at Bristol Health Partners.
We have much to look forward to in the year ahead, as we continue to build on the partnership’s already impressive track record.
