AHSP NEWS Issue 1 Reporting from the Academic Health Science Partnership in Tayside

Welcome to Readers On behalf of the University of and NHS Tayside, the This supplement aims to provide information on the ambitions principal partners, we are delighted to launch this supplement and achievements of the partnership and to build engagement reporting on the Academic Health Science Partnership in with all colleagues across all health and social care communities, Tayside (AHSP). all disciplines within the University as well as with patients and Many Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs) are currently the public. It will provide a forum for sharing news, best practice operating across the world, including six such centres in and success stories about activity and impact. The intention is England. AHSCs share the tripartite mission of undertaking high to augment and complement existing communications from all quality research, educating health professionals and achieving our partners. We hope you enjoy reading it. high standards of clinical care. AHSCs also aim to connect NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry, and are the catalysts that create the right conditions to facilitate change across whole health and social care economies, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for patients. In November 2015, Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport officially launched AHSP, the first formal such partnership in . The operational model of our partnership is flexibility, and responsiveness to emerging opportunities and challenges, as Professor John Connell Professor Sir Pete Downes our impact rests on bringing people, resources and organisations Chairman, Principal, together quickly and in a cohesive way, and delivering benefits Tayside NHS Board that could not be achieved alone.

AHSP at the Heart of Scottish Response to AMR Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, and the AMR advisory team from Scottish Government.

AHSP has been working to bring together The efforts are focused on establishing a coalition of key stakeholders in Scotland a research collaborative, initially called to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). DDS-Scotland and covering three areas It is one of the greatest threats to health where Scottish universities with partners in the future, with the world running in Health Boards and industry could out fast of antibiotics that are effective make a substantial impact: against common bacteria that cause • Drug Discovery (D): potential new infections. antibacterial agents This work is led by AHSP Co-Director • Diagnostics (D): new rapid and point Professor Dilip Nathwani in collaboration of care diagnostics with Professors Michael Ferguson and Ian Gilbert in the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) • Stewardship (S): the better use of Image (left to right): Professors Ian of the School of Life Sciences, University antibiotics Gilbert, Michael Ferguson, Dr Catherine of Dundee as well as collaborators in NHS This initiative led to a visit in February Calderwood and Professor Dilip Tayside and across NHS Scotland. 2016 by the Scottish Chief Medical Nathwani at the DDU.

AHSP brings together the University of Dundee and NHS Tayside to improve the health of the population in Tayside and beyond through advancement of health research, education of healthcare professionals and improved quality & safety of healthcare services. AHSP NEWS www.ahspartnership.org.uk AMR - Informing the Public AHSP is also supporting media and The AMR performance will be a three- public engagement activity in relation hour public event with prestigious to AMR through collaborations with guests from the realms of academia, Dr Louise Valentine from Duncan of the clinic, politics and entertainment. Jordanstone College of Art and Design It aims to inform the public on and Dr Robert Ryan in the School of the issues surrounding AMR with Life Sciences. emphasis on the devastating socio- economic impact of a world without The examples of such work antimicrobials and what is being include a AMR superhero poster done to prevent this in terms of for the Antibiotic Resistance primary research. To achieve this the supplement that was distributed team have created a novel platform with the Independent newspaper that gives a public audience the in November 2015 (included below) opportunity to communicate with and a planned AMR “performance” clinicians, researchers and politicians entitled ‘The Antimicrobial Resistance who along with the public are Crisis: Causes, Consequences and responsible for the future success of Resolution?’ The event is due to be tackling this challenge. held at the Dundee Repertory on the 7th October 2016. AMR Action Plan An action plan has been proposed as a means of taking DDS-Scotland work forward.

1. Drug discovery (D). Led by Professor Ian Gilbert, University of Dundee. The DDU at Dundee will combine with basic biology, structural biology and other drug discovery capabilities across the Scottish sector. A robust framework for interaction with clinicians and NHS Scotland will be provided under AHSP.

2. Diagnostics (D). Led by Dr Till Bachmann, University of Edinburgh. The knowledge at Edinburgh will be combined with chemistry, physics, engineering and biology across the Scottish sector.

3. Stewardship (S). Led by Dr James Chalmers, University of Dundee. This provides excellent clinical understanding of antibiotic usage and prescribing. Work is ongoing into understanding PK/PD models, optimising dosing and duration, looking into combination therapies and alignment with the role of new diagnostics in supporting the stewardship agenda. Furthermore, it involves work across disciplines including pharmacy and improvement science expertise within the Scottish Improvement Science Collaborating Centre (SISCC) to implement stewardship more effectively. This is facilitated by excellent health informatics and AMR epidemiology. www.ahspartnership.org.uk AHSP NEWS National Clinical Strategy Dr Andrew Russell • planning and delivery of primary choice. The Strategy echoes ideas from Medical Director, care services around individuals the 2014-15 Chief Medical Officer’s NHS Tayside and their communities; report on “Realistic Medicine”, which • planning hospital networks at a argues that we must remain alert to Over the last 10 years national, regional or local level the possibility that we may be over- there have been based on a population paradigm; treating patients to their detriment. significant changes in • providing high value, Scotland’s population Furthermore, both documents proportionate, effective and and the needs and explain the need for healthcare sustainable healthcare; demands facing our systems to work together with a • transformational change health and social range of academic and other partners supported by investment in care services. As Medical Director of to develop, implement and evaluate e-health and technological NHS Tayside I am pleased to support novel and unique ways of addressing advances. the publication of ‘A National Clinical challenges of the future. Innovation, Strategy for Scotland’ which helps It argues for the need to invest more information technology, creative work us to prioritise our work in achieving in promoting clinical effectiveness force planning and training are key reforms aimed at improving the in relation to individuals and their to these efforts and are at the heart quality of care and patient outcomes. circumstances. It also highlights the of the ambition of AHSP. I highly potential and the need for more commend reading of both documents The Strategy sets out a framework for self-management as well as better to anyone interested in the future of the development of health services understanding in the healthcare health and social care in Scotland. across Scotland for the next 10-15 community where lesser safe Both documents are available at years. The document provides an interventions are possible and where www.gov.scot/Publications evidence-based case for a range of they should be the intervention of high level developments, including: Strategic Partnership with Medtronic joint strategic planning initially in the care through communication and areas of surgical and clinical skills collaboration between Medtronic, training, informatics and product the University, NHS Tayside staff and testing and development. A Joint multiple stakeholders. Importantly The industry facing activities of AHSP Strategic Planning Group has been the partnership will provide a have led to the signing of a Strategic established which sets the overall translational outlet for the work of Partnership Agreement between strategy and direction of travel of University and NHS staff and will Tayside Health Board, the University the partnership, and is guiding and ensure that discussions are informed of Dundee and Medtronic which is promoting collaborative dialogue. of the challenges facing the parties, one of the world’s largest medical including the wider healthcare The partnership aims to create a technology companies. Signature products industry. This will provide dynamic, evolving and strategically- of the Agreement is an exciting the opportunity to focus on the most guided bridging mechanism that development and is paving the way important questions and for dialogue will ultimately promote high-quality for formal project collaboration and centred on possible solutions. education, training and patient Participants Value Engaging in Clinical Research at CRC and hope that their participation may your department has gleaned from help others in the future. Others are my input will help patients in the keen to participate in clinical trials of future. new medicines or treatments hoping All the staff made me feel very that they might benefit from the latest welcome on my various visits. Thank cutting edge therapies. you for the experience and hope your Feedback from patients and work proves to help others. Keep up volunteers who have taken part the good work.” in studies at the Clinical Research If you are a member of the public or Centre (CRC) in Tayside is that they a health professional who would like often find the experience positive to find out more about participating and understand the value of their in or running a clinical trial, please contribution. contact Lesley Peebles, CRC on crc. This patient has just completed [email protected]. Patients and healthy volunteers take his participation in a study: “I have part in clinical research for various thoroughly enjoyed being part of your reasons. Some see it as an opportunity team and hope that any information to learn more about their condition AHSP NEWS Working Together to Keep Patients Safe

Diane Campbell Scotland. The fundamental aim of the Our ambition in Tayside is to bring Associate Director programme is to reduce avoidable together the deteriorating patient for Patient Safety, harm to patients by improving the elements from across the Acute NHS Tayside safety of patient care at all points of Adult, Mental Health and Primary The essential care delivery. The Programme initially Care Programmes. Adopting a patient expectation from focused on acute hospitals, however, pathway approach we aim to make the NHS is that it in subsequent years its remit has improvements to the way clinicians should provide a extended to include Acute Care, identify, treat and appropriately safe environment Health Associated Infection, Maternity escalate patients by standardising to treat patients and Children, Medicines, Mental tools and techniques across the and protect them from harm. In the Health and Primary Care. organisation. Strengthening staff last decade, considerable efforts There has undoubtedly been competencies is key to the success have been made to improve the substantial improvement across all of these improvements and through safety of patients in Tayside as well the programmes but we recognise AHSP we have been able to combine as across Scotland. As a result, there that future progress, particularly in the energy, resources and expertise is a widespread awareness of patient the wider healthcare system, requires of colleagues within NHS Tayside and safety issues which are understood a broader vision of patient safety. One the University of Dundee. This will not as avoidable errors in healthcare that of the crucial areas for improvement only ensure that we have a workforce can cause harm to patients. within the Acute Adult Scottish Patient capable of recognising and treating the deteriorating patient but also The Scottish Patient Safety Safety Programme is the recognition build a foundation of knowledge and Programme (SPSP) was launched in and early rescue of the deteriorating skills to better prepare students for 2008 as a national initiative aimed patient to result in a 50% reduction in clinical practice. to drive improvement across NHS cardiac arrests. From the Co-Directors It is widely known that the health external partners in the private and partners and project leads to take service and universities currently public sector. forward the work across its key encounter substantial clinical, domains of education and learning, AHSP’s primary focus is to drive academic and financial pressures. quality improvement and safety, forward healthcare related projects In the face of this adversity there is research, informatics, innovation and with collaborators within the much to merit a positive approach internationalization. University and NHS Tayside as well reflected in the work of the Academic as with external parties. It can play We are keen to hear from all of our Health Science Partnership in Tayside. various roles in doing so, including: stakeholders. We would value your It has been said that austerity often identifying, engaging and bringing feedback and we encourage you to boosts innovation forcing more stakeholders together; helping set engage with us not only by reading creative thinking. As you have seen the direction for a project; providing this newsletter but visiting our website in this supplement, in Tayside there business support; identifying funding at www.ahspartnership.org.uk, are many such examples that give us opportunities; and facilitating attending our events or talking to our cause for optimism. They are also a process, including leading and fully team who you can reach on ahsp@ sign of a true partnership culture we managing projects. As some examples dundee.ac.uk or tel. 01382 383140. have been developing between the in this supplement highlight, AHSP University and NHS Tayside as well as is committed to working with all

Professor Gary Mires Professor Dilip Nathwani

AHSP News is produced by the AHSP Office, Level 10, and Medical School [email protected] www.ahspartnership.org.uk