The latest news from Health Innovation West of England - April 2026
Read online here
Preventing Problematic Polypharmacy: Getting the balance right in older people and those with frailty
The Health Innovation Network has relaunched its successful polypharmacy programme for 2026/27, building on the proven three-pillared approach to population health management, workforce education and public behaviour change.
Led by our team, the remodelled programme will have a stronger focus on frailty and repeat prescribing and will initially cover the West of England, Wessex and East Midlands.
Neighbourhood teams will be supported to implement an evidence-based approach to tackling problematic polypharmacy and colleagues will have access to workforce education and learning opportunities, along with a suite of patient-facing resources for Structured Medication Reviews.
Join our relaunch webinar on Wednesday 13 May to find out more and to hear from key partners involved in this work.
Strengthening our multidisciplinary team to support maternity and neonatal services
Building on our portfolio of patient safety collaborations, we are further strengthening our multidisciplinary maternity and neonatal team by expanding the role of Dr Sarah Bates, Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Sarah has worked with Health Innovation West of England since 2020 as Operational Clinical Lead for the PERIPrem programme, alongside Dr Karen Luyt, Professor of Neonatal Medicine, University of Bristol, who is Strategic Clinical Lead.
New job opportunity: Senior Innovation Advisor - Band 7
Come and join our wonderful innovation team and help us provide a customised support service to innovators who may come from industrial, health service or academic backgrounds.
This newly created role will also support the delivery of scanning activities to identify new products and innovations that meet the needs of cancer pathways, as part of our strategic partnership with the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire Cancer Alliance.
Closing: Sunday 19 April 2026
Podcasts and blogs
The ingredients for successful adoption and spread of innovation
In the latest episode of our West Side Stories podcast, we get to the heart of what the health innovation networks are all about - supporting the adoption and spread of proven innovation into healthcare.
Two of our directors, Tasha Swinscoe and Peter Carpenter, share their insights and reflections on the different ingredients needed for successful scaling of innovation. They also explore the role of the Health Innovation Network, and highlight a few examples of innovations developed here in the West Country that we've helped to spread further afield.
Redefining ‘the system’: moving from transaction to co-creation in health innovation
When we talk about the ‘system’, we often use the term as a catch-all for a large group of stakeholders. But do the people we serve and work alongside recognise themselves in that word?
In this new blog, our Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Delivery, Logan Ryan, challenges us to reconsider who needs an equal seat at the table when we’re planning how to transform health and social care services and unlock impactful innovation.
From community activism to system accountability: highlights from the Black Maternal Health Conference
To mark Black Maternal Health Week, our Head of Communications, Vanesther Hamer, shares her reflections on attending the Black Maternal Health Conference UK 2026 in London last month, organised by The Motherhood Group.
Are we now witnessing the shift of a movement from years of grassroots community action towards a new era of system accountability?
Black Maternity Natters
We are excited to be launching a new strand on our West Side Stories podcast from the team at Black Maternity Matters - called Black Maternity NATTERS!
Have a listen to our trailer with Senior Project Manager, Noshin Emamiannaeini-Menzies, and Clinical Lead, Ann Remmers, to find out more - like what exactly does go into our secret sauce and what can you expect from forthcoming episodes of the programme?
National news
Government publishes renewed Women's Health Strategy
Women across the country will be better heard and served under new plans set out in the government's renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published this week.
The strategy places women’s experiences at the centre of care across the healthcare system, ensuring patients' voices are listened to and acted upon, including exploring ways in which women’s feedback can be directly linked to provider funding and targeted improvements through a new trial. The move aims to ensure services are held accountable for listening to women, in a bid to stamp out long-standing issues with women being ignored.
New coalition will transform the lives of thousands with respiratory disease
Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed recently launched an ambitious new national coalition which will speed up diagnosis, improve treatment and transform the lives of thousands of people affected by asthma and lung disease.
The Respiratory Transformation Partnership brings together health innovation networks alongside NHS systems, leading industry partners, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS England and others to address unmet need and make better use of innovative treatments and technology.
Medilink South West Innovation and Business Awards 2026
Join Medilink South West to celebrate the achievements of the lifesciences in the South West, network and exchange ideas with the best innovators working in medtech and hear about UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer and how it is aiding our understanding of disease.
Wednesday 22 April 2026, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, Bristol and Bath Science Park
The Health + AI Tech Show
The Health + AI Tech Show unites the NHS, pharma, biotech, AI leaders and startups working to turn pilots into real progress. Discover, demo and learn how to implement the solutions shaping the future of healthcare.
Wednesday 29 April 2026, 8:30am – 9pm, Big Penny Social, London
PERIPrem Celebration Event
This special event brings together neonatal teams, maternity professionals, and quality‑improvement leaders from across the region for a day of learning, inspiration, and collaboration.
Thursday 7 May 2026, 10am - 4pm, Taunton
Anticholinergic burden and the Medichec ACB Calculator Masterclass
Join to hear from Dr Delia Bishara, Consultant Pharmacist Mental Health of Older Adults and Dementia to understand how the Medichec tool was created and how to use it to support better patient care.
Thursday 7 May 2026, 12pm - 1:30pm, online
NHSBSA Polypharmacy Prescribing Comparators: Getting the Balance Right
Learn how the NHSBSA polypharmacy prescribing comparators help us understand variation in prescribing of multiple medicines and identify patients more likely to be exposed to the risk of taking multiple or combinations of medicines.
Tuesday 12 May 2026, 12pm - 1:30pm, online
Bristol Patient Safety Conference 2026
Hear from patient safety and QI experts through a programme of talks and workshops. The programme includes a welcome from our Medical Director and BPSC Chair, Dr Mark Juniper, while our Senior Project Managers, Eleanor Powell and Angie Willis, will present on our HOME project, which provides remote blood pressure monitoring for people at high risk of developing hypertension during pregnancy.
Wednesday 13 May 2026, all day, online
Preventing Problematic Polypharmacy: Getting the balance right in older people and those with frailty
Join us to understand how the Preventing Problematic Polypharmacy Programme supports the National Frailty Agenda and can help ICBs develop their Medium Service Framework Delivery Plan to address problematic polypharmacy. The session will include how GPs, pharmacists and prescribers supporting older people can get involved and implement an evidence based approach to tackling this important issue.
Wednesday 13 May 2026, 12pm - 2pm, online
Polypharmacy Action Learning Set – June/July
The Polypharmacy Action Learning Set (ALS) is an evidence-based learning model developed by Health Innovation Wessex (formerly Wessex AHSN) in partnership with Health Education England. Join our Polypharmacy ALS to help build your confidence in, and understanding of, the complex issues surrounding stopping inappropriate medicines safely. Delegates need to attend all three sessions.
3 June, 17 June and 1 July, 9:30am - 12pm, online
West of England Academy - Change Lab: Leadership by Design
Change Lab is a two-day, hands-on course for people working in health and social care who want practical ways to tackle complex challenges.
This course is ideal if you want time to think differently, learn by doing, and leave with practical tools and approaches you can apply straight back to your work.
Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 June 2026, 10am - 4pm, Bath Cricket Club
West of England Academy - Change that Works: From Idea to Action
This one-day practical course is for people working on change projects who want to understand what really helps change succeed in health and care settings.
You will work through practical tools and apply them to realistic challenges, building confidence to move from good ideas to meaningful action.
Thursday 25 June 2026, 10am - 4pm, Engineer's House, Bristol