Christmas message from Dr Rosie Benneyworth, Managing Director, SW AHSN

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the many initiatives and improvements that we have had the opportunity work on together with the dedicated health and social care teams across the region.  There are too many initiatives to list here but highlights for me include our work with a broad range of partners to support the region through analytics and evaluation of new models of care.  We have led programs of work to enable interoperability of IT systems, social investment opportunities and supported many front line NHS innovators.  With our patient safety collaborative we have trained 160 front line professionals in quality improvement methodology, supported development of senior leaders in improvement and have begun a program of support for teams to ensure they have the best culture possible to enable safe patient care.  We have facilitated many opportunities for people from a wide variety of organisations to meet and network to ensure we maximize the potential that this brings.

Although we are celebrating the activities and many positive outcomes from 2015, it is also exciting to be looking forward to 2016 and the new opportunities for collaboration to drive health and care improvements across the South West.  We recognise the challenges that all health and care organisations are facing at the moment and are keen to support the region as much as possible.  Quality improvement and innovative approaches to some of these problems are going to be at the heart of meeting many of these challenges and the SWAHSN is positioned to support organisations with intelligence, improvement and innovation in the coming years.

I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to all our many partner organisations who work tirelessly not just to deliver quality care now, but who strive to improve systems and care for the future.
The Christmas period is a particularly challenging time for health and care professionals and I do hope that you are able to find some time to enjoy yourselves during this hectic and special time of year.  On behalf of the SW AHSN team I wish you a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2016.

Please note: The SW AHSN office closes at 12 noon on Thursday 24 December and reopens Monday 04 January, 2016.