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Welcome to the August edition of our Integrated Care System newsletter
Local children from Portishead have shared their top sun safety tips to help people enjoy the summer holidays while staying protected.
Their top tips include:
- Applying sunscreen before heading out - even when it's cloudy!
- Drinking plenty of water
- Staying in the shade when the sun is strongest (11am-3pm)
- Wearing a hat and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes
Watch the video on the ICB YouTube channel.
Find out more about sun safety on the Healthier Together website.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has joined up with local businesses to raise awareness of women’s health.
Posters will be displayed across pubs, gyms and Cabot Circus Shopping Centre to promote a new WellAware directory signposting people to local services and support groups for various health conditions.
Thousands of people in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire will be supported to stay in, or return to, work thanks to a new programme launching this month.
The ‘WorkWell West’ scheme aims to help people with health conditions who are struggling to stay in work or get back into work. It provides tailored support, including coaching, employability training, and health and wellbeing activities.
Improving services
A breast cancer screening study is investigating whether a new, faster magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, FAST MRI, could detect breast cancers earlier for women in their early fifties.
Led by North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), the FAST MRI DYAMOND study is investigating whether FAST MRI, a new type of scan, can help with the earlier detection of small but aggressive breast cancers. The study is specifically focused on finding cancers early for women with average breast density. It aims to detect any cancers that may not be picked up routinely by mammograms during a first screening visit.
FAST MRI is a shortened form of the breast MRI scan that has already been proven to find aggressive cancers smaller than a centimetre for women with dense breasts.
The latest National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results show information support for people with cancer across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire has improved.
Overall, results showed that University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) scored above the national average for information about diagnostic testing ahead of patients’ appointments, finances and benefits, as well as advice about cancer spreading or returning.
Rachael Thomas (pictured), a South Gloucestershire resident undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, says the information and care she has received has been ‘exceptional’.
Involving you
A local creative competition has been launched to celebrate the opening of a new specialist mental health facility next year.
The Kingfisher will be a new specialist in-patient and out-patient service for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust, which will be operating the new facility, is now asking local people to get creative on the theme of ‘nature and its connection with our wellbeing’ and is asking people to submit either a piece of writing of no more than 100 words or a photo, drawing or piece of art.
People from North Somerset invited to join Creative Health Board
A new Creative Health Board has been launched in North Somerset and partners, practitioners and residents from the area are being invited to get involved.
The Creative Health Board is a partnership of health and care and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations including Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB), North Somerset Council, Sirona care & health, GPs, Alliance Homes, University of Bristol, The Arts Council and Super Culture.
It aims to bring arts and culture into health and wellbeing, aligning with national health priorities, including social prescribing and tackling health inequalities.
The launch event took place in July at Weston Museum and the Grand Pier, bringing together healthcare professionals, community leaders and local residents.
If you would like to join the Creative Health Board, please email bnssg.ns-area-team@nhs.net.
Integrated Care System news
Sirona care & health, the provider of NHS and local authority funded adult and children’s community health services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jo Beer as its new Chief Executive.
Jo will take up the post from November 2025, succeeding Julie Sharma, Sirona’s Interim Chief Executive.
Read more about the appointment on the Sirona care & health website.
An Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust nurse was recognised for their outstanding care this week, after picking up a national award.
Caroline was nominated in the professional category by Katrina, a consultant at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, who waived her anonymity to tell her story, and to encourage and reassure others who might be suffering with mental ill-health.
Caroline said: "I feel very honoured just to have been nominated for these awards, and to have been selected as a finalist was quite incredible."
Partners North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) are set to pursue becoming a single organisation.
The trusts, who together employ over 28,000 healthcare professionals across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, will explore how operating as a single legal entity might help them to build on the positive progress of their Joint Clinical Strategy, published in March 2024.
Men with a rare form of cancer could live longer than currently expected, following a clinical trial by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) and funded by Regeneron.
The EPIC study looked at patients with advanced penile cancer, from 11 hospitals across England and Scotland, and offered them a medicine which can harness their own immune system to help them fight the disease.
While not able to cure the patient’s cancer, due to its late stages, more than 60 per cent of patients who received treatment had clinical benefit from being on the study. This was reflected in improved patient survival which increased to 15 months on average compared to less than a year reported in other studies for patients whose penile cancer was at a similar stage.
Professor Meghana Pandit, Co-National Medical Director – Secondary Care, NHS England, and Dr Trevor Smith, Regional Medical Director, NHS England South West, visited North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust on Monday 21 July 2025.
The visits included a tour of maternity services at Southmead Hospital, the new Elective Centre, as well as both adult and children’s emergency departments in the centre of Bristol.
Cardiology care across Southmead and Weston General Hospitals, and the Bristol Heart Institute is now operating as a Group Cardiac Service within the Bristol NHS Group.
Care continues to be provided at all three sites but is now led by one leadership team to foster collaboration. Group Cardiac Services will continue aligning care pathways to improve access, experience, and quality of care for all.
Rhakima Kahn was 34 when she found a lump, close to her sternum. As a senior healthcare support worker for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), she knew to go to her GP straight away.
After pushing for an appointment at the Bristol Breast Care Centre, ran by North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), Rhakima – known as Kimi – was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Three years later Kimi is trying to get more women from Black, Asian, Multiple Heritage, and other ethnically minoritised, global majority backgrounds to be more aware of the symptoms of breast cancer and the importance of getting the right help if you do notice any changes in your body.
Kimi said: “Being a Black woman, we don’t have the same access to education about our bodies. We’re brought up not to speak about it, not just ill health but anything to do with our bodies.
“Most Black girls learn about periods and sex outside the home, at school or from friends, and then they don’t speak to their families about it."
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust is adopting the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) - a national commitment to tackling racial inequalities in mental health care.
The new framework will work in co-production with black, brown, and other ethnic minority communities to recognise and challenge racial inequalities within services, listen and understand what works best for these groups, and work together towards ensuring that services see positive improvements.
GP surgeries in South Gloucestershire have launched a new campaign encouraging local men to take just 30 seconds to check their risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The risk is higher for men over 50, if they are Black, or if they have a family history of the disease. The campaign is being promoted by surgeries in two primary care networks:
4PCN: Hanham Health, Kingswood Health Centre, Cadbury Heath Healthcare and Close Farm Surgery
Network 4: Green Valleys Health, Three Shires Medical Practice, Orchard Medical Centre and Downend Health Group.
One Care is working with 51 general practice partnerships across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to pilot ambient voice technology (AVT) — AI-powered scribe tools used during patient consultations. The collaboration is with suppliers Heidi and Anima, both of which offer NHS-assured, compliant AVT products. Early feedback from practices has already shown promising results.
The aim of the pilot is to improve patient experience of consultations, save time for practice staff by reducing the admin burden, and help reduce stress by helping to ease workloads.
Staff at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust who reached a milestone of 10, 20, 30 or 40 years of continuous service between January 2025 and June 2025, attended a special in-person ceremony in Keynsham to celebrate their exceptional dedication and commitment.
In total, 96 numbers of AWP staff reached one of the milestones this year, that’s a combined 1,420 years of service!
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) was delighted to recently welcome the Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to Southmead Hospital to see their surgical robots in action.
The Secretary of State saw how they are using technology to transform patient care and innovate services across the Trust, including through using AI to improve our radiology services and using surgical robots across a range of specialities.
Karin Smyth, MP for South Bristol and Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), visited Mendip Vale Medical Group's St Georges Practice in Worle this month to learn more about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in primary care.
Local health and care jobs
Here is a selection of vacancies in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area. For a full list of opportunities, please see the NHS Jobs website.
Pharmacy Stores and Goods Receipt Assistant, Bristol (closes 17 August)
Senior Staff Nurse - ED, Bristol (closes 17 August)
Adult Therapy Pathway Lead, Weston-super-Mare (closes 17 August)
Anaesthetic Team Leader, Bristol (closes 18 August)
Senior Early Years Practitioner, Bristol (closes 18 August)
Highly Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist, Bristol (closes 19 August)
Biomedical IT Support Specialist, Bristol (closes 20 August)
Deputy Divisional Director - Specialty Medicine, Bristol (closes 20 August)
Catering Assistant, Bristol (closes 21 August)
Dermatology Highly Specialist Pharmacist, Bristol (closes 25 August)
Local Counter Fraud Specialist, Bristol (closes 31 August)
Assistant Paediatric Cardiac Nurse Specialist, Bristol (closes 1 September)
Designated Professional/Nurse Safeguarding Adults, Bristol (closes 3 September)
Community DoLS Assessor, Bristol (closes 21 September)
Looking for a job in social care? A huge variety of roles are available on the websites of North Somerset Council, Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council.
Dates for your diary
28 August, from 11am-3pm
Health Fun Day
Hartcliffe and Withywood
4 September
ICB board meeting
The Salvation Army Bristol Citadel, 6 Ashley Road, Bristol, BS6 5NL
16 September, from 4:30pm-7:30pm
Bristol NHS Group Annual meeting and Health Fair
Malcolm X Community Centre, 141 City Rd, St Paul's, Bristol BS2 8YH
Every Saturday morning
ParkPlay
Clevedon, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare
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