We have published our 2025-26 Impact Report, showcasing how collaboration is at the heart of everything we do as a regional network.
By bringing together the right people and organisations, including all NHS service providers in the West, three integrated care boards, four universities, charities, VCSE organisations, and the life sciences sector, we have helped improve the lives of more than 60,000 local people this year.
Our impact report demonstrates that innovation is a collective effort, requiring deep local relationships and multidisciplinary teamwork to ensure proven solutions reach the people who need them most faster.
Key collaborative successes
Regional clinical impact: PERIPrem is a unique perinatal care bundle that has been driven by the commitment of neonatal and maternity teams across the South West. To date, over 4,185 premature babies in the region have benefited from PERIPrem, preventing an estimated 90 cases of severe brain injury and delivering around £30 million in NHS savings.
National leadership: leading the national Polypharmacy Programme for the Health Innovation Network, we worked with all 42 integrated care boards in England to upskill over 12,800 clinicians, demonstrating the power of a structured, large-scale partnership to tackle overprescribing.
Local systems change: through the ambitious new ADOPT programme, we are partnering with Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust to streamline how proven technologies are brought into everyday care, building a more agile culture for staff and patients.
Cancer innovation: a strategic partnership with the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire (SWAG) Cancer Alliance has launched nine pioneering projects aimed at earlier diagnosis, including the capsule sponge test evaluated in primary care settings.
Tackling inequalities: Black Maternity Matters, developed in partnership with Representation Matters, BCohCo and Black Mothers Matter, is building a community of over 700 professionals dedicated to addressing racism and inequity in healthcare.
Driving economic prosperity together
The report also highlights that health and prosperity go hand in hand. As part of the Health Innovation Network, the West of England team supported 381 innovators this year, helping to leverage nearly £1.5 billion in investment nationally and creating or safeguarding more than 1,500 jobs.
“None of this would be possible without the commitment of our partners, patients, innovators and dedicated teams,” says Natasha Swinscoe, Chief Executive of Health Innovation West of England. “Together, we will continue to ensure the most effective innovations reach more people, more quickly, so every community across the West of England benefits from better health and care.
Download our 2025/26 Impact report.
Posted on August 3, 2026
