We are proud to announce that the West of England PreCiSSIon Collaborative has been selected as a winner of the 2025 OneTogether Awards. The award recognises the Collaborative’s remarkable achievements in reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) following caesarean birth, through a pioneering regional safety initiative.
The OneTogether Awards celebrate UK healthcare professionals and teams for innovation in reducing SSIs, from smaller practice changes to large-scale improvement programmes, and for sharing best practices across the surgical pathway to enhance patient care. As winners, The West of England PreCiSSIon Collaborative has been invited to present their successful initiatives at the OneTogether UK Expert Conference 2026 on 12 March, where they will share insights, lessons learned, and practical guidance to inspire further SSI-prevention efforts across the UK and beyond.
Maternity units across the region are all working with Health Innovation West of England as part of the West of England PreCiSSIon Collaborative to prevent surgical site infections following caesarean birth. That includes those operated by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, North Bristol NHS Trust. University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Transforming maternity care safety through PreCiSSIon
Hospital-acquired infections, including SSIs, have long been recognised as a significant source of preventable patient harm across the West of England. While caesarean births have been rising, the lack of mandatory SSI surveillance in maternity care meant that trusts lacked the data required to drive improvement.
In 2022, Health Innovation West of England funded the establishment of the PreCiSSIon Collaborative, a regional safety initiative grounded in the IHI breakthrough-collaborative model. By embracing continuous measurement, digital surveillance, and direct patient feedback, PreCiSSIon has embedded a culture of safety and accountability. Through close collaboration with both mothers and clinical teams, the programme introduced targeted interventions, achieving high compliance and significantly reducing SSI rates after caesarean birth.
Through the Collaborative digital SSI surveillance was successfully established in 5 maternity units across the West of England by March 2023, allowing analysis of data from over 9,300 women. Across the region, SSI rates following caesarean births fell from a baseline of 18.5% to 13.3% by March 2025. The reduction in SSI can be equated to preventing 364 mothers from developing an SSI and the unpleasant side effects associated, which can make caring for their new babies challenging and affect bonding and breast feeding as antibiotics are usually required. This represents an estimated cost saving to the NHS of up to £1.3 million and also supports antimicrobial stewardship and sustainability savings from dressing and care visits.
The award win represents a powerful recognition that patient safety improvements, even in historically under-monitored areas like maternity SSI, can be achieved when NHS trusts commit to data-driven, collaborative change.
Commenting on the award win, Natasha Swinscoe, CEO of Health Innovation West of England said, “We are incredibly proud of what the PreCiSSIon Collaborative has achieved. This award recognises the dedication of maternity teams across the region, but, more importantly, it belongs to the mothers and babies we serve. Through PreCiSSIon, we know all our patients have won locally because of the Collaborative and the work it continues to do as the legacy of this programme becomes business as usual across the region.”
Looking ahead
As the PreCiSSIon Collaborative moves into its next phase, Health Innovation West of England remains committed to supporting NHS trusts across the region to sustain and build on these gains. By embedding SSI surveillance in standard maternity care pathways, engaging patients continuously, and fostering a culture of safety and learning, Health Innovation West of England aims to ensure that SSI prevention is no longer a project, but a permanent and integral part of maternity practice.
Posted on December 17, 2025
