Category > Patient safety

Working together to reduce caesarean birth infections

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The West of England AHSN is working collaboratively with the region’s six acute maternity hospital trusts on a new project to reduce surgical site infections (SSI) following caesarean births. In March 2023 the first wave of four trusts launched their use of the locally developed PreCiSSIon (Preventing Caesarean Birth Surgical Site Infection) care bundle. The…

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Transforming asthma care across the South West of England

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The West of England and South West AHSNs, alongside the South West Severe Asthma Network (SWSAN), have been working with 10 hospital trusts across the South West of England to improve asthma pathways and enhance access to innovative treatments for adult patients. A new evaluation shows the collaborative project, which was awarded Pathway Transformation Funding…

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Evaluation finds PReCePT national programme effective in helping to prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies

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The PReCePT programme to increase the use of magnesium sulphate, a £1 injection that helps prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies, has been found effective according to an evaluation by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The findings, led by researchers at the University of Bristol, are published in the Archives of…

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Launching our project to improve non-invasive ventilation

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In December 2022, 24 colleagues from six regional acute hospital trusts and the West of England AHSN came together to launch a new collaborative project focused on improving patient outcomes from non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Watch our introductory video on Vimeo: Acute NIV is an evidence based, clinically effective and lifesaving treatment used to manage patients…

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Guide launched to help primary care reduce harm from opioids

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The West of England AHSN have launched a new easy to follow guide for healthcare professionals working in primary care. The guide will support clinicians to identify patients at risk from opioid prescribing, includes templates and ideas as well as providing information on training and examples of best practice initiatives. The free guide has been produced…

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Regional neonatal units celebrate achievements including highest delayed cord clamping rates

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Maternity and neonatal (MatNeo) units across the South West are celebrating achieving the highest rate of delayed cord clamping in England and Wales for the second year in a row, as measured by the 2021 National Neonatal Audit Programme (NNAP). Evidence shows that delaying cord clamping reduces death in preterm babies by nearly a third. Celebrating success Rates…

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South West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative hold successful first online event

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On 3 October, the new and extended South West of England Learning Disabilities Collaborative (SW LDC) held an online event for those with an interest in learning disabilities and improving outcomes for people with a learning disability across the South West to come together and share experiences, ideas and learning. The event was chaired by…

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Regional Perinatal Equity Network celebrates first anniversary

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Maternity and neonatal practitioners came together in the South West this month to celebrate one year since the launch of the Regional Perinatal Equity Network, marking the anniversary with talks on perinatal inequalities from speakers including obstetrician Dr Christine Ekechi, author Kim Thomas and the Positive Birth Company. The Regional Perinatal Equity Network (RPEN), a…

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Care home staff find the Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) empowers residents

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GPs and care home staff see the Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) as positive and empowering for residents, according to an evaluation carried out by researchers at NIHR ARC West in collaboration with the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and published in Age and Ageing. To assess experiences with ReSPECT, researchers interviewed 16 GPs…

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The Collaborative digitally launches on World Mental Health Day

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Today on World Mental Health Day (10 October) the launch of the brand-new name and visual identity for The Collaborative has taken place. The Collaborative (formerly known as the South of England Mental Health Collaborative – MHC) aims to improve the quality and safety of services for people with mental health conditions through the use…

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