Our partnership is ‘Fit for the Future’

During the period covered by this Impact Review (April 2025–March 2026), the government published Fit for the Future: the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England. Gratifyingly, its emphasis on prevention, community-centred care and a ‘population health approach’, both echoes and validates the work Bristol Health Partners has been leading locally for the past 14 years.

If we are to remain truly ‘Fit for the Future’, and continue influencing how healthcare is planned, designed and delivered across our region in increasingly turbulent times, we need to build on our longstanding strengths. Notable  among these are our commitment to ensuring that healthcare improvements are grounded in good research and accessible to all the communities we serve.

Our last Conference demonstrated, more clearly than ever, the value of our partnership to members and the wider system. Two engaging days at Bristol’s science centre, We the Curious, showcased progress across sexual health, stroke, substance issues and mental health, alongside our growing efforts to make research more equitable.

For the first time, we also welcomed dozens of guests from London and internationally, further strengthening our reach and influence, and projects from the event continue to gain traction. We have collaborated with King’s Health Partners, as well as colleagues in Denmark and Sweden, on a paper—currently under review with an open access journal—exploring what makes a successful Academic Health Science Partnership and provides a template of how best to set-up a regional Partnership. Our work with King’s Health Partners continues through a joint healthy weight project, and we have also begun working with a clinical-academic group in Denmark on chronic pain.

This year, moving away from the traditional Conference format, we will instead host a series of targeted workshops, bringing together Health Integration Teams, public partners and system leaders to connect and problem-solve around key priorities. We will share updates as this work progresses and look forward to bringing everyone back together for Conference in 2027.

Overall, there is much to celebrate over the past year: including:

• The contribution made by our Sexual Health Improvement (SHIP) Health Integration Team to the implementation of a new regional sexual health service.  We are particularly pleased that the community-led Common Ambition Bristol (CAB) programme—focused on increasing HIV testing and tackling stigma in minoritised communities—is now fully integrated into this service. You can read more through the perspective of Marsha, a public contributor who has been integral to CAB’s success.
• Our partner Sirona’s innovative Returning to Work after Stroke sessions, which are actively supporting more people back into employment.  These sessions provide a strong example of effective multidisciplinary working, having been developed and delivered by our Stroke Health Integration Team in collaboration with colleagues from at Bristol After Stroke, the Stroke Association and the Department of Work and Pensions.
• The Bristol Protected Characteristics Questionnaire (BPCQ), which provides one of the most detailed pictures yet of research representation in our region. Following extensive local testing, this tool is now freely available for researchers to collect participant demographic data. We are grateful to our Integrated Care Board’s Research Team for adopting the BPCQ for research it supports, and we hope to see it used widely.

Finally, I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to Professor Tim Whittlestone, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust Chief Medical and Innovation Officer, who joined us as Chair of Bristol Health Partners in January.

Tim has kindly shared his perspectives on our partnership in a short filmed interview. His emphasis on Bristol Health Partners as a “listening organisation” is central to our approach. We will continue to listen actively to our partners and communities, ensuring we help deliver meaningful improvements that endure into the next decade and beyond.