REACH is a regional collaborative hub in emergency care research led by co-directors from the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol. REACH aligns researchers from these two universities, with direct support from health and care providers and commissioners, so they can share priorities, expertise and resources to coordinate and strengthen research capacity, delivery and infrastructure.
REACH also acts as a repository of academic expertise to enhance service and workforce design and delivery in the region, supporting a process of service co-design, research and evaluation that informs current healthcare priorities.
Mission statement
To work collaboratively across the city of Bristol and throughout the surrounding region to complete, disseminate and implement high quality research with impact in urgent and emergency care, and to build future research capacity.
Aim
To improve urgent and emergency care for patients by ensuring that research is aligned with local and national priorities and findings are disseminated and implemented through policy and practice.
Centre for Health and Clinical Research – University of the West of England
Centre for Academic Primary Care – University of Bristol
Organisational structure
REACH is led by a co-director from each of the two universities with links to relevant Health Integration Teams (HITs), NHS commissioners, health and care providers, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West), West of England Academic Health Sciences Network (WEAHSN) and other organisations across the wider South West, in close collaboration with patient and public groups.
Co-directors
- Professor Jonathan Benger
- Professor of Emergency Care, University of the West of England
- Professor Sarah Purdy
- Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Bristol
Steering group
This group meets every three months to direct the collaborative hub’s strategy and oversee progress against key objectives. It agrees how best to share investment and return across the partners and ensures that REACH considers and addresses current priorities in healthcare policy and delivery, including the NHS Long Term Plan and associated initiatives as implemented by commissioners and providers locally, regionally and nationally.
Steering group members include senior representatives from:
- University of the West of England
- University of Bristol
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
- North Bristol NHS Trust
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
- South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Community healthcare providers
- Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group
- NIHR Applied Heath Collaboration (ARC) West
- West of England Academic Health Sciences Network
