Our Region Co-Chairs share an update every quarter, highlighting key developments, successes, and priorities from across their region.
Hello from the North West. As we move into summer, there is plenty happening across the region, with exciting developments in clinical practice, education, quality improvement and research.
A particular highlight is the 3rd World Falls Congress, taking place in Manchester next week. We are delighted to welcome international experts from across the globe to discuss the latest advances in falls prevention, bone health, rehabilitation and service delivery. Speakers include internationally recognised researchers such as Professor Manuel Montero-Odasso and Professor Cathie Sherrington, alongside many other leaders in the field. The meeting is expected to attract more than 800 delegates and provides a fantastic opportunity for networking and collaboration across disciplines. Both Nishma and I will be attending and look forward to meeting colleagues from across the region and beyond.
More locally, the recent North West Surgical Collaborative meeting at Salford Royal Hospital brought together consultants, trainees, ACPs and allied health professionals to discuss developments in perioperative care. Updates included discussions around NELA/NHFD-linked perioperative pathways, evolving surgical guidance and approaches to supporting older adults undergoing surgery. It was particularly encouraging to hear about the breadth of services being developed across the North West and the growing recognition of frailty informed perioperative care.
Quality improvement remains a major focus across the region. Many teams are leading innovative frailty projects, and here in Manchester work continues on the development of an integrated falls pathway designed to improve patient experience across community, emergency and specialist services.
Hospital at home services also continue to expand rapidly. Across the North West, there is a shared commitment to delivering the NHS shift from hospital to community wherever safe and appropriate. Geriatricians are increasingly working alongside community teams, virtual wards and primary care colleagues to support people living with frailty at home, helping to avoid unnecessary admissions while maintaining specialist input.
We are excited by developments in Brain Health across Greater Manchester. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, working with partners including The University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR and the charitable sector, has launched a brain health initiative focused on earlier identification of cognitive impairment and improved access to prevention and intervention studies.
Finally, we look forward to inviting you all to our NW regional conference this November 2026. We have exciting talks planned around community work which we are excited to learn from. We hope to see as many of you as possible in November.
Scott & Nishma
