University of Bristol and Bristol NHS Foundation Trust formalise new partnership

By Stella Phipps, News Reporter

Such changes include enabling academics and clinicians to work closely to enhance health-related education and research, while boosting patient care in the region.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (BFT) was formed by merging North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW).

With this new partnership, both trusts will build on their long-standing relationships with the University.

This partnership will provide training and experience to the next generation of healthcare experts. The University is currently training thousands of students to enter the healthcare industry, including 1600 medical students and 400 dentists, while the BFT has a workforce of 28,000.

Both the BFT and the University have previously collaborated on meaningful projects, including trial outcomes in the PReCePT programme. Evidence shows that providing magnesium sulfate to mothers at risk of premature birth could reduce the risk of cerebral palsy among babies by a third. Recent figures showcased how treatment has protected over 22,000 babies.

Other projects include the CAP/Protect trials focused on prostate cancer screening, resulting in a change in treatment offers for men from 20 to just 5 radiotherapy sessions. Alongside this is the rollout of a national genetic test reducing the risk of donor kidney failure from potential donors of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage, therefore tackling health inequalities.

The partnership also extends to a new £50 million NIHR-funded ‘Inequalities Challenge Consortium’, focused on cardiovascular disease research, which is responsible for over a quarter of UK deaths.

Maria Kane, Chief Executive of BFT, and Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to the government's ‘Ten-Year NHS Plan.’

This plan details localising healthcare to local communities, shifting to digital services, and taking a more proactive approach to patient treatment. The MOU commits both organisations to shifting care to new Neighbourhood Health Hubs, securely sharing data with AI to improve treatment, and expanding access to prevention research.

These changes will shift the focus of healthcare from treatment to prevention and provision of community-focused, accessible care.

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Vice-Chancellor Prof. Evelyn Welch described how this ‘deep and trusted partnership with the NHS’ will serve to ‘design and deliver new models of healthcare and medical education, training and research.’

Maria Kane said the partnership marks a ‘clear foundation and shared ambition’ that will ‘continue to thrive to benefit the communities we serve, shape the future of healthcare, and the next generation of professionals within it.’