Avoiding Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT)
The Avoiding Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT) aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. ITHAcA is a partnership between the acute NHS trusts, two universities, clinical commissioning groups (Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire) and the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP). Collaboration across these organisations is vital if a successful reduction of avoidable admissions is to be achieved, and ITHAcA provides a vehicle through which such discussions and partnerships can occur. The ITHAcA HIT was set up in 2012 and closed in 2020.
Latest news and events
Research in Emergency Care, Avon Collaborative Hub webpages now live
9 March 2021
The Research in Emergency Care, Avon Collaborative Hub (REACH) webpages are now live on the Bristol Health Partners site. REACH launched in October 2020 and is a collaborative research hub to improve the delivery of emergency care in Bristol and the surro...
New emergency care research hub for Bristol launched
13 October 2020
The University of Bristol and UWE Bristol have joined forces with health care partners in the city to set up a collaborative research hub to improve the delivery of emergency care in Bristol and the surrounding area. The new hub, Research in Emergency Car...
2020 HIT annual conference presentations and interviews now available
8 October 2020
The 2020 Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Team Conference took place as a virtual event over the course of four days (28 September - 1 October 2020). More information on the speakers and sessions can be found here.Presentations from the event an...
ITHAcA HIT - its successes and sustaining its impact
26 May 2020
The Avoiding Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT) has had some incredible successes in their research since it started in 2012, and officially closed as a HIT in 2020. The hard work of the team will continue to have an impact on urgent...
Avoiding Hospital Admissions (ITHAcA) HIT review for 2019-20
22 April 2020
Professor Sarah Purdy and Dr Peter Goyder, Directors of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), give an update on the HIT's activities in 2019-20. Over the year we have continued to focus on developing our u...
Avoiding Hospital Admissions HIT review of 2018-19
7 May 2019
Professor Sarah Purdy and Dr Peter Goyder, Directors of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), give an update on the HIT's activities in 2018-19.
HITs with a focus on healthy, safe environments get together for a networking breakfast
12 October 2018
On Wednesday 3 October, Health Integration Teams (HITs) with a focus on healthy, safe environments got together for a networking breakfast at Lifeskills at the CREATE Centre in South Bristol.
Health Integration Teams attract nearly £4.7 million in 2017-18
15 June 2018
Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Teams (HITs) have attracted nearly £4.7 million in funding to the local health system in 2017-18.
The Avoiding Hospital Admission HIT's achievements in 2017-18
11 May 2018
Professor Sarah Purdy and Dr Peter Goyder, Directors of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), give an update on the HIT's activities in 2017-18.
Alternatives to acute hospital admissions for older people are safe and reduce hospital use
9 August 2017
Alternatives to acute hospital admissions for older people appear safe and could reduce use of acute hospital care and length of time receiving care, a new study from the University of Bristol published in BMJ Open has found.
University of Bristol team to develop a new test to assist GP antibiotic prescribing
1 August 2017
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.
Avoiding Hospital Admissions HIT achievements for 2016-17
16 May 2017
Professor Sarah Purdy and Dr Peter Goyder, Directors of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), give an update on the HIT's activities in 2016-17.
HITs bring nearly £4m in funding to the region in last nine months
27 March 2017
Health Integration Teams (HITs) have brought £3,988,121 of funding to the region since July 2016. Some of these awards are for research, while others are for service innovation.
Risk of hospital admissions could be reduced with better general practice strategies
25 October 2016
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.
Health Integration Teams projects being taken forward by CLAHRC West
11 July 2016
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.
Health Integration Team model evaluation paper published
1 July 2016
The results of NIHR CLAHRC West's preliminary evaluation of the ‘Health Integration Team’ model have been published in BMC Health Services Research.
Hospital-at-home is a safe alternative to hospital admission for elderly patients
29 June 2016
When considering admitting patients over the age of 65 for acute hospital care, alternatives such as hospital at home, admission to a local community hospital or extended stays and treatment in A&E are a viable option say NIHR-funded researchers from the...
Our 2015-16 annual review is out now
27 June 2016
Our 2015-16 annual review was launched at our annual Health Integration Team (HIT) conference on 17 June. The Bristol Health Partners annual review showcases the work of the partnership and includes updates from most of our 20 HITs and a round-up of the...
Avoiding Hospital Admissions HIT review for 2015-16
16 May 2016
Professor Sarah Purdy and Dr Peter Goyder, Directors of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), gives an update on the HIT's activities in 2015-16.
New research could help would-be A&E attendees
9 May 2016
New research funded by the British Red Cross and carried out by UWE Bristol (the University of the West of England) and the University of Bristol aims to discover what information will help people know what to do and where to go when a person is unwell.
Healthy cities explored at Festival of the Future City
26 November 2015
On 17 November, 250 members of the public and 24 speakers came together to explore what makes a city healthy, as part of the health strand of the Festival of the Future City.
Dr Peter Goyder becomes ITHAcA HIT new Co-Director
16 November 2015
Dr Peter Goyder, Urgent Care Clinical Lead at Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group, has been appointed as the new Co-Director of ITHAcA HIT. Peter will be working alongside Sarah Purdy, the current ITHAcA HIT Director.
Avoiding Hospital Admissions HIT review of 2014-15
15 May 2015
Professor Sarah Purdy, Director of the Integration to Avoid Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT), gives an update on the HIT's activities in 2014-15.
NIHR CLAHRC West research projects announced
29 January 2015
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.
Focus on ITHAcA HIT
25 September 2014
The Avoiding Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT) aims to reduce avoidable hospital admissions across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Avoiding unnecessary use of emergency hospital services is one of the biggest cha...
Avoiding Hospital Admissions HIT review of 2013-14
12 August 2014
Professor Sarah Purdy reviews the 2013-14 work of the Avoiding Hospital Admissions Health Integration Team (ITHAcA HIT)....
Seeing same GP reduces emergency department attendance
27 April 2014
Attendances at emergency departments can be reduced by enabling patients to see the same GP every time they visit their doctor’s surgery. This is just one of several recommendations made in a report led by researchers at the University of Bristol.
HIT seminar is a hit for APCRC
25 November 2013
The Avon Primary Care Research Collaborative (APCRC) seminar on Bristol Health Partners and our Health Integration Teams (HITs) on 19 November proved very popular, with more people than were registered turning up on the day.
