Annual Review 2021-22: Reflections from David Wynick

In a year of change for Bristol Health Partners, we bade farewell to our Chair Robert Woolley who retired from his post of Chief Executive at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in April 2022. We also said goodbye to Lisa King who has steered the partnership so effectively as our Chief Operating Officer for so many years. However, I’m delighted to say that we have appointed two outstanding successors: Maria Kane from North Bristol NHS Trust is our new Board Chair and Olly Watson is now our COO – congratulations to you both.

Our Health Integration Teams (HITs) bring together expertise from research, health and care services and public health, along with people with lived experience, and continue to add enormous value to our regional healthcare system, demonstrating our excellence as one of the leading Academic Health Science Centres in England. The number of HITs continues to grow – our newest, the Healthy Weight HIT, will focus on preventing and treating obesity, which is a key determinant of health, and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact this new team will make.

In a year which has seen our HITs achieve so much, it’s challenging to single out a particular highlight. However, I would like to extend my personal congratulations to our Stroke HIT, who have shown such tenacity in working as part of Healthier Together Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to agree changes that will result in better and faster treatments and outcomes for many years to come. This is a wonderful example of how the system, supported by a HIT, has achieved something of direct tangible benefit for the population. It also clearly shows the benefits that come from equal collaboration between providers and public contributors at all stages of the process.

I’d like to thank our many public contributors from across our HITs for continuing to engage with us in promoting equity within the health and care system. The contribution you make to what we do is invaluable – not only through our Research and Innovation Steering Group but also now on our Board. With our colleagues in the region, we are determined to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in local health and care research. We want to work with the widest possible range of people with lived experience to shape and influence research and know there is much to be done to make this happen. Closely listening to, and acting on, the voices of our public contributor colleagues will help us make this change together.