It aims to slash wait times, end postcode inequality and deliver better care to 1.5 million people
The chief executive of both the North Bristol NHS Trust and the UHBW NHS Foundation Trust, Maria Kane, (inset) and the Bristol Royal Infirmary(Image: Bristol Post)
Two of the region’s largest NHS organisations have formally joined forces under a new healthcare partnership aimed at transforming the delivery of hospital and community care across the South West.
North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust confirmed the launch of the Bristol NHS Group.
The partnership, first proposed in December 2023, is designed to address common challenges, strengthen collaboration, and improve patient outcomes for over 1.5 million people across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and beyond.
The new group is chaired by Ingrid Barker and led by joint chief executive Maria Kane. According to the trusts, Bristol NHS Group will focus on what they describe as the “Four Ps”: patients, people, populations, and the public purse.
Their stated goals include reducing wait times for diagnosis and treatment, ensuring equal quality of care regardless of postcode, and shifting more services closer to home.
The group also promises to adopt cutting-edge digital technology, grow its internationally recognised research base and improve staff experience.
Maria said: “Bristol NHS Group is focused on what matters most: delivering outstanding care, reducing health inequities, strengthening communities, and offering fulfilling careers for our people.
Together, we will confront shared challenges, modernise services, and learn from each other. By aligning our strengths, sharing expertise, and removing unnecessary duplication, we’ll make sure every patient — wherever they live, and whichever hospital they visit – receives consistently excellent care.”
Ingrid Barker added: “The formation of Bristol NHS Group is a key milestone in our mission to transform healthcare for the communities we serve.
“Our vision is to deliver seamless, high-quality, and equitable care for everyone who needs it, not built around organisational boundaries but instead focused firmly on patients and their loved ones.”
The new group’s ambitions are detailed in its Summary Benefits Case and a Joint Clinical Strategy published in March 2024. Developed by clinicians from both trusts, the strategy aims to eliminate duplication, delays and inconsistencies in care, which they say contribute to health inequality.
As two of the largest hospital trusts in the UK, the organisations deliver care at 13 sites including Southmead Hospital, the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Weston General Hospital.
They also run services in the community and provide over 200 clinical services ranging from fetal medicine to elderly care, with specialist services in areas such as major trauma, oncology, immunology and transplant medicine.
Together, the trusts employ more than 28,000 staff and have a combined turnover of over £2.2 billion.
More information about the Bristol NHS Group is available on the UHBW website, including the full Joint Clinical Strategy 2024–2027.