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Researchers at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Evaluation of Interventions and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West have found that a new pilot service in South Gloucestershire is helping patients with chronic pain reduce their use o...

The National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) works with partner organisations, including the NHS, local authorities and universities, to conduct applied health research and implement research evidence, to...

The NIHR is the nation’s largest funder of health research. Bristol punches well above its weight in terms of NIHR funding. The city, through its universities and hospitals, hosts key NIHR infrastructure, and attracts millions in NIHR grant funding.

The quality improvement programme Prevention of Cerebral Palsy in PreTerm Labour (PreCePT), led by clinicians at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and at the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), won a Health Service Jou...

Applied research collaboration NIHR CLAHRC West has been awarded £9 million from the Government’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to become the Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) from 1 October 2019.

‘Overcoming Barriers: Autism in the Somali community’ is a short film telling the stories of Bristol-based Somali families affected by autism, and the professionals who support them.

‘Overcoming Barriers: Autism in the Somali community’ is a short film telling the stories of Bristol-based Somali families affected by autism, and the professionals who support them. It is being premiered on 3 April at the Watershed.

Dr Myles Linton, a health economist in NIHR CLAHRC West’s efficiency team, has been on secondment to mental health charity Second Step for one day a week since September 2018. Here he gives tips on how researchers can make a difference with a secondment.

More than 70 people gathered to hear about a project to produce materials to promote the use of safer low dead space injecting equipment on Thursday 24 January.

Research led by NIHR CLAHRC West and CAPC at the University of Bristol found that unless GP online consultation systems are carefully implemented, they won’t yield the benefits policymakers hope for in the NHS 10 year plan.

Associate Professor in Continence Care Dr Nikki Cotterill has been awarded a prestigious Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholarship to develop her work in bladder and bowel continence care.

Professor Sarah Purdy, Head of the University of Bristol’s Medical School, is the new Director of NIHR CLAHRC West.

Women who experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) are more than twice as likely to seek emergency contraception as other women, according to a study by NIHR-funded researchers at the University of Bristol and Queen Mary University of London.

The number of people with multiple long-term conditions, known as multimorbidity, is rising internationally, putting increased pressure on health care systems, including the NHS. Researchers from the 3D Study are hosting a conference with RCGP.

Michelle Farr, Senior Research Associate at NIHR CLAHRC West, on her research on how advice services offer a lifeline for people who have health conditions or disabilities. These services are under threat after years of austerity.

Mental health inpatient wards can be traumatising for people with psychosis. Bristol Health Partners and CLAHRC West want to co-design peer support to address the root causes of this and help rewrite the psychosis narrative.

Doctors and nurses often prescribe antibiotics for children with cough and respiratory infection to avoid return visits, symptoms getting worse or hospitalisation.

Researchers are calling for more innovative studies into the link between changes to urban neighbourhoods and their impact on residents’ mental health and wellbeing. The research team at the University of Bristol and NIHR CLAHRC West reviewed existing st...

Full or partial bans on GPs prescribing gluten-free (GF) foods to people with coeliac disease save the NHS money in the short-term. But the impact on patients is unknown, NIHR-funded researchers at the University of Bristol have warned.

Anne Frampton, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, and Andrew Hollowood, Clinical Chair, both at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, describe the development of the SPEaC Happy App.

A new comic exploring how our culture stigmatises larger body sizes is launching in Bristol on 19 July, as part of an exhibition running from 17 to 21 July.

From reporting the findings of the largest ever prostate cancer trial to causing a media stir with a review of research on the effects of low alcohol consumption during pregnancy, Bristol-based research has made a big impression again this year.

Psychosis Health Integration Team (HIT) Directors Dr Sarah Sullivan, Dr Simon Downer, James Robinson and Martha Sneyd give an update on the team's activities in 2017-18.

Kyla Thomas, Leonie Roberts, Katherine Williams and Tim Williams, Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Health Integration Team (HIT), reflect on their team’s work in 2017-18.

Dr Udaya Udayaraj and Dr Fergus Caskey give an update on the work of the Chronic Kidney Disease Health Integration Team (CKD HIT) over the last year.

Salena Williams and Sue Dursley, Co-Directors of the Improving Care in Self-Harm Health Integration Team (STITCH HIT) give an update on the HIT's activities in 2017-18.​...

NIHR CLAHRC West's popular free training programme includes a range of courses for people working in health, public health, research and commissioning, as well as patients and members of the public. Here are the latest courses available to book.

NIHR CLAHRC West's popular free training programme includes a range of courses for people working in health, public health, research and commissioning, as well as patients and members of the public.

CLAHRC West and the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) have developed a suite of training resources to accompany the Evaluation Works and Evidence Works toolkits.

Online GP consultation systems may not be the silver bullet for reducing GP workload and patient waiting times that government policymakers are hoping for, NIHR-funded research from the University of Bristol has found.

Online GP consultation systems as they currently stand are unlikely to take the pressure off GPs and practices, despite NHS England’s drive to promote them through a £45 million fund.

Eye injection drugs recommended by NICE cost the NHS up to £447 million annually, but could be replaced by an unlicensed drug, bevacizumab, costing as much as ten times less.

Hospital trusts across the country are being urged to use an initiative developed in Bristol to improve patient safety in emergency departments.

Developed in maternity units across the West of England, the ‘PReCePT’ project has been selected by the Health Foundation to be part of an ambitious £3.5 million improvement programme.

NIHR CLAHRC West offers free training courses for those working in the health and care sector in the West. Their latest courses available to book include project evaluation for the voluntary sector and the basics of health economics.

New research from the University of Bristol suggests that consuming even small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy may be linked with higher chances of having a small baby and delivering prematurely, though evidence was surprisingly lacking.

Extending the operating hours of the liaison psychiatry service at the Bristol Royal Infirmary’s (BRI) Emergency Department has led to improved care and outcomes for patients who have self-harmed, NIHR-funded research has found.

Sexual health professionals feel that it is appropriate and valuable to ask their patients about domestic violence and abuse, NIHR-funded research has found. But time, workload and finding the right moment during consultations can be barriers to doing so...

A research team at the University of Bristol, including researchers from ITHAcA HIT and NIHR CLAHRC West, has won a prestigious international award for a technology that could help in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

A best practice guide on the ethics and governance of service evaluation has been launched on the CLAHRC West website. These guidelines are for evaluators and commissioners of evaluation in health and social care.

A new quick guide to patient and public involvement (PPI) in evaluation has been launched on the CLAHRC West website. The leaflet is for evaluators and commissioners of evaluation in health and social care.

Health complications caused by nutritional deficiencies in homeless problem-drinkers can be avoided if they are addressed early, write Dr Sharea Ijaz and Zoe Trinder-Widdess, NIHR CLAHRC West, Bristol.

Training clinicians to proactively ask patients about domestic violence is feasible for sexual health clinics to implement and could increase referrals to specialist services, according to a study by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the Univers...

There is a wealth of opportunities available this autumn from the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West) free training course programme.

An NIHR CLAHRC West review has found that heavy drinking homeless people may experience a range of nutrient deficiencies, including vitamin B1, but the amount and quality of research on this issue is low.

2016-17 saw Bristol awarded £21 million for a new NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and the opening of the West of England NHS Genomic Medicine Centre. The UK’s largest trial looking at prostate cancer treatments published its first results.

The first Bristol Health Partners partnership agreement was signed in April 2012, with a lifespan of five years. It’s been extended for another year while our future direction is mapped out, but it’s a good moment to reflect on what we've achieved so far...

A staff engagement app developed by a team at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) has led to improved staff engagement and service delivery at the trust’s central Bristol hospitals.

NIHR CLAHRC West runs free courses for people working in the health and social care sector. Their training programme aims to promote the development of skills in understanding, using and producing evidence for the health, public health and commissioning...

Two Health Integration Teams (HITs), Bristol Bones and Joints and STITCH, are responsible for £340,000 annual savings in the city’s two acute trusts, through changes to services and care pathways.

A new Evaluation Online Network, open to anyone in the West of England and beyond, launched on 7 March. So far the network includes 64 staff working in a variety organisations and settings with an interest in evaluation.

Fifteen students from Redland Green School's post 16 centre presented their research findings to a group of senior health researchers on Wednesday 22 March. This was the culmination of two terms' work during which the students explored the world of healt...

NIHR CLAHRC West continues to run free courses. Their training programme aims to promote the development of skills in understanding, using and producing evidence for the health, public health and commissioning workforce.

Job clubs seem to be effective in reducing depression in people who lose their jobs, particularly those at high risk of depression, an NIHR-funded study has found. But evidence for other types of support for people during times of financial hardship, inc...

Services for children who are exposed to domestic violence and abuse are vital, but NIHR-funded researchers have found that there is little evidence for what support works best.

In this blog post, first published in the HSJ, Peter Brindle spells out three ingredients which can ensure that evidence – with all its money-saving potential – is incorporated into NHS practice.

The team behind University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust’s Happy App won the Award for Staff Engagement at the prestigious HSJ Awards on 23 November. Over the past two years, researchers from the National Institute for Health Research Collabor...

More than 100 people gathered to view an exhibition that explodes myths around health inequality, called Equity is the Answer. The exhibition of 20 artworks explores Oli Williams's thesis, bringing its messages and themes to life for a non-...

The cultural and societal barriers that Somali families with children with autism experience are explored in a paper published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The NIHR-funded research team, made up of University of Bristol and...

People who inject drugs support the use of new, safer ‘low dead space’ syringes, NIHR-funded researchers from the University of Bristol have found.

Hospital admission rates are 55 per cent higher in some areas than in others because of a greater prevalence of conditions such as diabetes, alcoholism, dementia and socioeconomic deprivation.

Healthy neighbourhoods are the bedrock of a healthy city. But can the market deliver the kind of places that we know support healthy lifestyles? Can we splice together health and development economics to reduce the financial and social burden arising fro...

There is no word for ‘autism’ in the Somali language, but research suggests that children whose parents have migrated from Somalia to western countries, including the UK, may be at greater risk of developing autism than children from other groups.

The West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) has been chosen as one of three AHSNs across the country to lead the next phase of the Health Foundation’s exciting Q initiative, which will create opportunities for greater collaborative working...

Six projects relating to the work of Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Teams (HITs) are being taken forward by NIHR CLAHRC West from their 2016 project call.

The results of NIHR CLAHRC West's preliminary evaluation of the ‘Health Integration Team’ model have been published in BMC Health Services Research.

2015-16 saw the opening of the Bristol Brain Centre, bringing Bristol’s considerable strengths in neurological disorders together under one roof, and a new personalised assisted living facility at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. A Genomic Medicine Cen...

Following his keynote address at the NHS Research and Development (R&D) Forum on 24 May, Peter Brindle believes our NHS should stand out as the most evidence informed healthcare system in the world, with NHS R&D at the heart of making this a reality.

The NIHR CLAHRC West project, in collaboration with the Addictions Health Integration Team, examining whether a new ‘low dead space’ syringe would be acceptable to people who inject drugs, has found that users support use of the new syringe.

To support commissioners, the West of England AHSN and Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative to have developed two online toolkits: Evidence Works – an evidence-informed commissioning toolkit; and Evaluation Works – a service evaluation toolkit...

CLAHRC West and the West of England AHSN have jointly developed a new two-hour workshop in collaboration with Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative (APCRC) called Getting Started with Service Evaluation.

There are a number of health research focused courses running in Bristol over the next few months that are aimed at healthcare professionals, researchers and public health practitioners.

CLAHRC West has announced the latest round for project proposals, which closes on 7 March. In this round, they are looking to prioritise​ projects that focus on integrated working across the health system, or effective and efficient ‘optimal care’.

More than 30 people with an interest in evaluation came together to develop a shared vision, strategy and action plan for evaluation in the West, at a workshop on 16 December.

More than 400 people came together on 15 October to hear about collaboration to improve health and care in the West at the NIHR CLAHRC West, CRN: West of England and WEAHSN joint conference.

The Bristol Health Partners website has been relaunched, with a new design, improved functionality and more content about Bristol's health research. The launch follows NIHR CLAHRC West's recent relaunch of their website.

People in Health West of England have developed an infographic showing how they link with their partners and other local organisations.

NIHR CLAHRC West works with its partner organisations, including the NHS, local authorities and universities, to conduct applied health research and implement research evidence, to improve health and healthcare across the West.

Professor Matt Hickman, Barbara Coleman and Dr Tim Williams, Directors of the Addictions Health Integration Team (HIT), give an update on their work in 2014-15.

Professor John Macleod, Director of the Sexual Health Improvement for Population and Patients Health Integration Team (SHIPP HIT), gives an update on their work in 2014-15.

Dr Suzanne Audrey, Dr Adrian Davis and Marcus Grant, Directors of the Healthy Neighbourhood Environments Health Integration Team (SHINE HIT) give an update on progress in 2014-15.

Professor Selena Gray and Dr Afroditi Stathi, Directors of the Active Older People Health Integration Team (APPHLE HIT) give an update on their work in 2014-15.

We have an innovative and possibly unique approach to patient and public involvement (PPI) in the West. People in Health West of England's Hildegard Dumper explains.

The National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West) has produced a thematic analysis of the five year plans of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in its patch.

The National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West) has produced a video explaining what a CLAHRC is, and what they do.

The National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care West (NIHR CLAHRC West) has announced the first round of research projects that it will be working on in the first part of 2015.

Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, visited Bristol on 26 November to launch the National Institute of Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and...

A group of scientists and academics from the University of Rochester in New York State visited Bristol on 17-19 November to find out more about the public health work going on in the city.

Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies is visiting Bristol on 26 November, to meet researchers who are helping to combat key public health issues and to officially launch a new partnership established to improve health and healthca...

Following feedback from Health Integration Teams (HITs) at the HIT conference, Bristol Health Partners has started a project, working with CLAHRC West, to evaluate the HIT model.

NIHR CLAHRC West's new report on the West of England population's health and wellbeing looks at the priorities of the health organisations in the region.

Bristol Health Partners has joined with WEAHSN, CLAHRC West and the Clinical Research Network West of England to develop an integrated strategic approach to PPI across the region.

Richard Hocking, Manager of the Collaboration in Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West, gives an update on progress.

University of Bristol's Professor Jenny Donovan gives an update on NIHR CLAHRC West, which officially started on 1 January 2014.

Bristol Health Partners’ Health Integration Teams (HITs) are to benefit from a £9 million investment into the West Country’s health research. The money, a share of £124 million from the government, has been awarded over five years to 13 pioneering resear...