£3m drive to fast-track advances in health care

INNOVATIVE new procedures will be fast-tracked into the NHS under a new programme costing £3m in Yorkshire.

Maternal and infant health, treatment of long-term conditions including diabetes and strokes, as well as patient safety will be the key parts of a new regional Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) involving the NHS, universities and industry.

The initiative also aims to improve quality and productivity which are likely to become a major focus in years to come as public spending cuts are felt.

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The chief executive of NHS Wakefield, Alan Wittrick, who is chairman of the HIEC board, said the cluster would help improve the development of high quality care and services across the region.

"This initiative will make the NHS in the region an international leader in the development and introduction of best practices and technologies in healthcare," he said.

"The benefits of the world-leading innovation and research carried out in the Yorkshire and Humber area will be implemented more quickly. Ultimately this will lead to patients benefiting from the delivery of new treatments and techniques."

Under the initiative, patients with long-term conditions will benefit from better care through the use of new technology which will be trialled in pilot areas.

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The network will spread best practice in diabetes and stroke care and increase the number of health staff working in the community who are trained in the early diagnosis and prevention of heart disease and stroke.

The maternal and infant health and care group will test approaches to promote and support breastfeeding, work to improve maternal and infant nutrition and improve care in labour and birth.

The Yorkshire cluster, hosted by hospital chiefs in Bradford, is the largest of 17 new nationally-funded initiatives bringing together the NHS, universities and industry.