Three new Health Integration Teams given go ahead

Three new Health Integration Teams have been given the green light by Bristol Health Partners Executive Group. The new teams focus on immunisation and vaccines, perinatal mental health and psychological therapies.

The Bristol Immunisation Group Health Integration Team (BIG HIT) is led by Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Bristol, with other HIT directors from Bristol City Council, Public Health England, NHS England, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, North Bristol NHS Trust, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. BIG HIT will look at the strengths in Bristol’s immunisation programme, and identify the barriers to the effective and equitable delivery of immunisations across the city and wider area. The team is sponsored by Bristol City Council.

The Improving Perinatal Mental Health (IMPROVE) HIT has been formed because effective joint working is particularly important during the perinatal period when care is delivered across several providers of both health and social care. IMP HIT will have two co-directors: Dr Jonathan Evans, University of Bristol and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP), and Inge Shepherd, Bristol CCG Maternity and Children Services. AWP is the sponsoring organisation.

Another AWP sponsored HIT, Pyschological Therapies will look at improving the access to, and outcomes of, psychological therapies that are known to be effective in the treatment of common mental health problems. The team is led by Dr David Kessler and Dr Nicola Wiles of the University of Bristol’s School of Social & Community Medicine.

More information on all these new Health Integration Teams will be available soon. If you want to know more in the meantime, email Lisa Wheatley on [email protected].