Our purpose is to transform lives through health and care innovation.
We are one of 15 AHSNs set up by NHS England across the country in 2013.
We concentrate our efforts in the South West region, bringing together partners from the NHS, academia, local authorities, industry and community sectors to identify and spread innovation that improves population health and generates economic growth.
The South West AHSN —
Our approach is grounded in the context of the place we work.
- A place with one of the lowest population densities in the country
- With people living across a mix of coastal communities, isolated rural areas and urban centres – who experience health and health & care services in very different ways
- Creating considerable challenges in delivering health & care services and improving population health
- And generating significant variation in equity of health – in equity of access to services, equity of health outcomes and equity of opportunity to live a healthy life.

Within the Devon system we recognise the vital role that innovation plays in our health and care system. Learning from our work with the South West AHSN to date has created a mutual appetite to work in further partnership as a system and across the region – creating the optimal conditions for joint working.”
— NIGEL ACHESON
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, NHS DEVON
What we do

Identifying and spreading innovative practice
Our practical experience and techniques that support health and care systems to identify, adopt and spread innovative practice to improve health and care services.
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Building capability
Using our knowledge and experience of the conditions required to innovate and improve to build the capability of partners to spread innovative practice and improve quality.
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Evaluation and application of learning
Using our experience evaluating improvements and testing innovation to support partners to evaluate the impact of changes and capture learning.
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