The project, led by Dr Emma Rees (Clinical Scientist) will establish whether this collaborative provision can improve the current service model. Dr Rees is working closely with the cardiology team at Morriston Hospital to ensure that the quality of provision and governance arrangements in the Health and Wellbeing Academy match those at the hospital. 

The first patients accessed the service at the beginning of October and the project is expected to run for three months. 

Julia Pridmore, Executive Director of the College of Human Health Sciences Health & Wellbeing Academy said:

“We have to think differently about how we improve health and provide healthcare.  The joint echocardiography service at the Health and Wellbeing Academy is a good example of the many fantastic partnership working initiatives with our NHS colleagues in the region that are helping to improve the health of local people.”

Christine Morrell, Director of Therapies said:

“Collaborative working with our university partner in this way is an important step forward in developing new models of care which not only enable us to use new modern facilities and help to support training of our next generation of cardiac physiology students but also more importantly will have positive impacts for our patients”.

The Health and Wellbeing Academy is accepting referrals for selected patients who are relatively well and who can safely have their echocardiogram at the university. The aim is to determine whether seeing such patients in an out-of-hospital environment can relieve pressure on current Hospital waiting lists, allowing the hospital-based service to focus on those with more complex care needs or who are acutely unwell.

In addition, Swansea University Healthcare Science students will have the opportunity to observe the consultation, which will enrich their learning experience.

‌Patients already seen have been asked to provide feedback and so far the comments have been very positive ie:

• “Excellent facility, very efficient and professional staff. Much more accessible than hospitals can be”
• “We were very pleased about everything….very good indeed, from reception to the person who took the echo…professional, kind and understanding”
• “Sensitive manner of presentation, good and instructive (sic)”
• “Seen quickly, very friendly and everything explained in a lot of detail”

The new Health and Wellbeing Academy is one of the first projects to emerge from ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health) which is a unique collaboration project between the three partners of Swansea University, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Launched in March, 2017 by Vaughan Gething AM the Health and Wellbeing Academy, based at Swansea University, is a great example of how by working together, innovative solutions can be developed to deliver health care to our population. The Academy is the first of what will be many more benefits that ARCH is expected to deliver for the people of South West Wales.

For more information about the Swansea University Health and Wellbeing Academy go to http://www.swansea.ac.uk/hwa/

For more information about the ARCH collaboration go to http://www.arch.wales/

Picture 1: Patient undergoing a ultrasound heart scan at the Health and Wellbeing Academy, Swansea University.

Picture 2. Reception and waiting area at the Health and Wellbeing Academy, Swansea University.

Picture 3. The Health and Wellbeing Academy “welcome wall”.