14 January 2010
University takes role in innovative NHS scheme
National funding has been awarded to the University of Sheffield, along with NHS organisations and other universities across the Yorkshire and Humber region, to establish a new initiative to ensure patients receive better care.
The Yorkshire and Humber HIEC (Health Innovation & Education Cluster) is the largest of 17 new nationally funded initiatives that will combine the expertise of the NHS, universities and industry to promote innovation in the NHS and improve quality and productivity.
The Yorkshire and Humber HIEC, which has been awarded £3m of funding over the next three years, includes all regional NHS organisations and universities with healthcare faculties, making it one of the largest in the country.
Initially the HIEC will focus on the three key theme: long term conditions, maternal and infant health, and patient safety.
The long term conditions group will identify groups of patients with long term conditions, such as diabetes and stroke, with a view to supporting and enhancing their care through the use of new technology.
It will also establish pilot sites where this new technology can be applied. The long term conditions group will aim to identify and spread best practice in relation to diabetes and stroke, increasing the number of primary care professionals trained in early diagnosis and prevention of heart disease and stroke.
The maternal and infant health and care group will develop and test distance learning resources to promote and support breastfeeding. It will establish regional networks and identify best practice sites for two priority areas – improving maternal and infant nutrition, including tackling obesity, and improving care in labour and birth.
The patient safety theme is based on an established patient safety research network. This has already introduced new practices for health visitors and midwives and provided them with protected time, space and expertise to improve the quality and safety of the health care they provide.
Through these networks staff have already identified gaps in quality, developed measures to monitor change and planned evidence based interventions for improvement. The patient safety group will build on these lessons and integrate the findings into wider training programmes and clinical governance structures.
Professor Tony Weetman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: "I am delighted that we are partners in the Yorkshire and Humber HIEC, which complements the other partnerships we have with NHS colleagues. This new initiative will help to ensure that the research we do is translated into patient benefit as effectively as possible, and will also allow us to develop better ways to educate staff and students."
Alan Wittrick, Chief Executive of NHS Wakefield and Chair of the HIEC Board, said: "This initiative will make the NHS in the Yorkshire and Humber region an international leader in the development and introduction of best practices and technologies in healthcare.
"The Yorkshire and Humber HIEC will help us to improve the development of high quality care and services across the region. The benefits of the world-leading innovation and research which is carried out in the Yorkshire and Humber area will be implemented more quickly. Ultimately this will lead to patients benefitting from the delivery of new treatments and techniques." Notes for Editors: Health Innovations and Education Clusters (HIECs) were first announced by the Department of Health in the NHS Next Stage Review: High Quality Care for All.
HIECs bring together organisations from across several sectors – based on partnerships between NHS organisations (primary, secondary and tertiary care), the higher education sector (universities and colleges), industry (healthcare and non-healthcare industries) and other public and private sector organisations.
Their purpose is to enable high quality patient care and services by bringing the benefits of research and innovation directly to patients through improving and coordinating professional education and training so that it has the breadth and depth to support excellence.
For further information please contact: Lauren Anderson, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2221046 or email l.h.anderson@sheffield.ac.uk
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