Bristol’s Season of Health this autumn

An autumn Season of Health ran in Bristol from September to November 2014, offering a varied and exciting programme of events that explored health both in Bristol and nationally. The series of events is being run and organised by a range of different organisations, including Bristol Health Partners. Together they represent a comprehensive programme that gives both health professionals and the wider public plenty of opportunities to meet and discuss some of the key issues that face the health and care system in our city region – and to work out some specific responses to some of those challenges.

Child Injury Prevention HIT conference – 4 September

To kick the season off, the Child Injury Prevention and Injury Care Health Integration Team (CIPIC HIT) held a conference on their work to improve awareness and outcomes of children and families experiencing injury, on 4 September.

Open discussion on innovation in health and care – 9 September

This was followed by an open discussion on innovation in health and care from 3pm on 9 September, at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This discussion informs a weekend collaborative event on 15-16 November. See further details below.

Genomics in the NHS – 10 September

On 10 September, North Bristol Trust held an event called ‘Genomics in the NHS: The future of genomics in Bristol‘ at its Learning and Research building at Southmead Hospital. Taking place from 3-5.30pm, the event gave the opportuntiy to find out about North Bristol Trust’s genetics service, genomic medicine, opportunities for collaboration and future developments. There was also a tour of the genetics and blood sciences laboratory.

Bristol Open Doors – 13 September

On Saturday 13 September, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust opened up three parts of its estate for Bristol Open Doors 2014. The open areas were Haemotology and Oncology, the Bristol Royal Infirmary and the Central Health Clinic. More information can be found on UHBristol’s website.

Festival of Health – 10-11 October

The Festival of Health ran on 10 and 11 October at the Watershed, in partnership with the Festival of Ideas. Through a series of talks and panel discussions, this event aimed to answer big questions about health in Bristol, including ‘How does the healthcare system work?’, ‘What is a healthy city?’, ‘Do we have a caring city?’ and ‘Where is change in the health and care system going to come from and what sort of system do we want in our city region?’ Spanning a Friday evening and full Saturday, the festival boasted an impressive line-up of speakers, including Mayor George Ferguson and Chief Inspector of Hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards.

Living well with dementia – 14 October

On 14 October, the Dementia Health Integration Team held a conference on living well with dementia that showcased its work so far, at the County Cricket Ground. The ‘living well with dementia’ event was open to professionals and people affected by dementia. It included a mixture of short talks, interactive stands and a panel discussion.

West of England Academic Health Science Network – 16 October

The West of England Academic Health Science Network held its annual conference on 16 October at UWE’s conference centre. The event also saw the launch of the regional NIHR Clinical Research Network.

Fresh Arts Festival at Southmead hospital – 16-18 October

A three-day Fresh Arts Festival from 16-18 October 2014 marked the opening of the Brunel Building at Southmead hospital, celebrating the role that the arts are playing in bringing the building to life and connecting to the communities who use it. Events included a writer in residence, staff wellbeing workshops, live music on wards and in waiting rooms, performances by local choirs, artist-led knitting groups, printmaking workshops and the Emergency Poet, a poetry on prescription service open to all. A live theatre show shared memories and stories of working at the old Southmead and Frenchay hospitals. The final day of the festival saw a Speed Derby in the hospital atrium.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: young children’s pictures of health – 6 November

On 6 November the Bristol Network for Early Years Health and Wellbeing (BoNEE) Health Integration Team officially launched with an exhibition of children’s art exploring health. The exhibition, called ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: young children’s pictures of health‘, was held at the Trinity Centre.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership’s R&D conference – 13 November

On 13 November, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership’s Research and Development team annual conference focussed on ‘research for all’. Held in Chippenham Town Hall, it featured many of the region’s mental health research leading lights.

Health innovation collaborative weekend – 15-16 November

Over the weekend of 15-16 November we ran a health innovation collaborative weekend aimed at connecting those working on real-time challenges in the health and care system with the city’s data and digital community. This event was held in public and everyone was welcome. This cutting-edge event took the methodology of a ‘hack day‘ and applied it to a small number of health and care related challenges.

NIHR CLAHRC West launch and Elizabeth Blackwell Institute inaugural lecture – 26 November

Bringing the season to a close, on 26 November the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West) launch at MShed included an appearance by Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England. She was also giving the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute inaugural lecture at the Wills Memorial Building on the same day.