THET welcomes DFID’s announcement of a new £5 million Health Systems Partnership Fund which will enable more British health professionals to share their skills with midwives, nurses and doctors in developing countries through teaching, training and practical assistance.

The Fund will build on existing initiatives including the ‘International Health Links Funding Scheme’, which has already given out over 30 grants to support long term institutional partnerships between UK organisations and their ‘Links’ in the developing world.   We believe that it has the potential not only to improve health outcomes in the developing world, but also to strengthen the reputation of the UK health sector for outward looking, innovative work whilst seeking to train and grow our own health professionals through experiences both within and outside the UK.

UK health sector professionals have a proud history of engaging with colleagues in resource-constrained environments to identify innovative ways of transferring skills and improve quality of care.  Multi-disciplinary Links such as the Kings-THET-Somaliland Partnership contribute to a growing body of evidence which supports the thesis that long term institutional partnerships between UK organisations and their counterparts in developing countries can provide much needed structure and resources to channel individual initiative in ways that are more effective, sustainable and accountable to beneficiaries and donors.  Increasingly, training and practical assistance have been integrated within the context of broader health systems and in line with long term national development plans.

The government’s renewed commitment to reducing maternal and child mortality rates is also welcome, and particularly in the broader context of health systems strengthening designed to improve the health of vulnerable populations.  The Health Systems Partnership Fund has the potential to amplify existing initiatives aimed at reducing maternal and child deaths, as well as encourage new holistic programmes, designed with partners to improve public and medical education, access to services and delivery of care.

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Notes to the Editor:

1. THET is an international health charity committed to improving health services in developing countries through strengthening long-term capacity. Based in the UK, we have over twenty years experience working with health institutions around the world, promoting action that is effective, sustainable and responsive. For more information please visit www.thet.org.
2. International Health Links Funding Scheme is jointly managed by THET and the British Council, and provides grants and support to health institutions across the UK, working with partners in more than ten of the world’s poorest countries across Africa and Asia.  It is jointly funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID) and the Department of Health (DH): http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-healthlinks.htm
3. NHS Framework on International Development has been developed to provide greater clarity on how NHS agencies and individuals can best maximise their potential to contribute in a sustainable and appropriate way to capacity-building in developing countries. For more information on this Framework please visit http://www.ihlc.org.uk/Framework/framework.htm
4. For examples of ‘Health Links’ which have undertaken specific activities to support maternal and child health, see examples such as the Gwent-Southern Ethiopia Health Link and the Kambia appeal on the THET database: www.thet.org

For more information about THET and Health Links please contact Rachel Schofield on +44 (0)20 7290 3892, or by email at rach@thet.org .

King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre formally launched a new global health partnership with the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) on 4 February 2010.

Renewing an existing 10 year partnership between THET and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (one of the founding members of King’s Health Partners) this new partnership will allow King’s Health Partners and THET to take steps to develop further their shared agenda and create a new centre of activity within King’s Health Partners.

The new partnership aims to expand delivery of the ‘Health Systems Strengthening’ work, as well as to promote greater involvement of younger members of the health profession by creating further opportunities to be engaged in and learn about global health.

The launch saw guest presentations and speeches from representatives of the existing partnership organisations as well Edna Adan Ismail, former Foreign Minister for Somaliland and Professor Christopher Whitty, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of Research at the Department for International Development.

The event was held at the Weston Education Centre based on the King’s College Hospital site, which will now be the home of the Somaliland team from THET, to strengthen the joint working on this partnership.

Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners said; “We view Global Health as an important part of the work we are doing across clinical care, research, and education and training. As an Academic Health Sciences Centre, we aim to influence healthcare both nationally and internationally. This new partnership with THET will play a key role in our aspirations to be a leader in global healthcare education, and is soon to form part of a wider Institute of Global Health Education and Training at King’s Health Partners.”

Pia McRae, Chief Executive at THET said; “We are delighted to be extending our collaboration with King’s Health Partners, following ten years of successful partnership in Somaliland supporting both the training of health professionals, as well as the development of a health infrastructure.  We share some key values with King’s Health Partners including an interest in how to support UK health professionals in providing service to developing countries through working alongside (and at the request of) overseas colleagues.  Going forward, we aspire to build on our shared commitment to increasing the understanding, education and awareness of UK health sector students, as well as staff, in global health issues and the needs of developing countries.”

Andy Leather, Director of the King’s International Development Unit, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added; “King’s College Hospital have had a long standing relationship with THET and I am excited that this extended partnership as King’s Health Partners will not only further strengthen the capacity building and educational work in Somaliland but will also catalyse research partnerships with institutions there.”

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Notes to editors

1. To view the presentations from the event, please click on the following link:
   http://www.kingshealthpartners.org/khp/multimedia/presentations/
2. Contact: Kami Paulson or Clair McInally, King’s Health Partners. Tel:  020 7188 4058/43 or email
   kingshealthpartners@kcl.ac.uk
3. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering collaboration between King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

King’s Health Partners is one of only five AHSCs in the UK and brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.

For more information, visit www.kingshealthpartners.org

THET is an international health charity committed to improving health services in developing countries through strengthening long-term capacity. Based in the UK, we have over 20 years of experience working with health institutions around the world, promoting action that is practical, sustainable and responsive.
For more information visit www.thet.org

The projects of the small grants are:

Subject: Nephrology
Partners: Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, and the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK
Aim: To develop a continuing medical education programme for doctors at the Tikur Anbessa Hospital and other hospitals in Addis Ababa with a particular focus on acute renal failure (ARF).

Subject: Ophthalmology
Partners: ECWA Eye Hospital, Kano, Nigeria, and the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT), N.Ireland, UK
Aim: To enable a team from CWA Eye Hospital in Kenya to spend a week at the Western Health and Social Care Trust, N Ireland, in order to complete a needs assessment and work together to prepare a memorandum of understanding and detailed three-year activity plan aimed at capacity building at ECWA hospital.

Subject: CVC associated infection
Partners: Aga Khan University Hospitals (AKUH) Tertiary Care Hospitals, Pakistan and the Addenbrooke’s Abroad, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Aim: To support the exchange of best practice in central venous catheter (CVC) associated infection and knowledge in patient safety, and to train nurses in line insertion and care.

For more information about small grants click here. For more information about the International Health Links Funding Scheme, please click here.

THET and British Council launch new International Health Links Funding Scheme: A ground-breaking initiative to strengthen health systems in developing countries

THET, a UK based international health charity, and the British Council, the UK’s international body for cultural relations, are launching a pioneering funding scheme supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Department of Health. The scheme is aimed at strengthening partnerships, or ‘Links’, between UK health institutions and their counterparts in developing countries.

The International Health Links Funding Scheme (IHLFS), worth £3 million, is a three-year scheme that provides grants and support for Links. The primary purpose of Links is to build the capacity of developing countries’ health systems. Link activities can be very broad and include training and capacity-building for staff, providing practical skills, continuing professional development, and curriculum development. This scheme will greatly contribute to the UK’s commitment to international development.

International Development Minister, Mike Foster states: “Over 9.2 million children die in developing countries before their fifth birthday and every single minute a woman dies in childbirth. Most of these deaths could be prevented by access to the basic healthcare we take for granted – medicine, medical facilities and trained medical staff.

‘British doctors and nurses have an opportunity to make a difference by training staff in developing countries who can then serve their local communities without the need to leave home. Their skill, commitment and drive will ultimately save thousands of lives. We are proud of the difference they are making and will continue to support initiatives like Links which give them the opportunity to help the world’s most vulnerable people.”

Gillian Merron, Minister for Public Health says: “This exciting opportunity will help the NHS play an even greater role in international development and contribute to the Millennium Development Goals. Many individuals in the NHS have a deep commitment to help colleagues in developing countries and this fund will help them do so.”

The IHLFS will be divided into three levels: 1) Small grants of up to £3,000 for ‘brokering’ or supporting the development of new and young Links; 2) Medium grants of up to £15,000 over one or two years, and; 3) Large grants of up to £60,000 per year for three years. Grants will be given to Links that contribute to the achievement of priorities defined in the national health plans of target developing countries.

THET Chief Executive, Pia MacRae says: “This scheme will not only support the development of new Links, but it will help to strengthen and expand the work of existing Links. As we celebrate our twentieth anniversary, this is a great endorsement of our work over the years – providing Links with the opportunity to make even more of an impact.”

Desmond Lauder, the British Council’s Head of Contracts and Projects Delivery adds: “We are very pleased to be entering into a collaboration with THET which will in turn develop partnerships between the UK and developing countries to address issues such as child and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The British Council has been delivering international partnership work in support of development aims for nearly 30 years and we pride ourselves on doing this in a way that builds trust and engagement for the UK. This new relationship will enable us to combine our experience in managing partnerships on an international scale with THET’s expertise in health services.”

The IHLFS is open to a wide range of not-for-profit health institutions including developing country hospitals, health training institutions or professional associations, and their UK counterparts, such as NHS Trusts and professional associations. Universities can participate, but not as lead partners.

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Note to the editor:

More information about the IHLFS can be found at www.britishcouncil.org/learning-healthlinks

For further application details, please contact British Council at healthlinks@britishcouncil.org

For more information about THET and Health Links please contact Sharon Horder on +44 (0)20 7290 3892, or by email at sharon@thet.org

The International Health Links Funding Scheme is part of a broader initiative supported by DFID to support effective Links between UK health institutions and their counterparts in Developing Countries. The funding scheme is complemented by the creation of an international health links centre which will act as a ‘one-stop-shop’ of information about Links. For more information see http://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/lsot-coi090409.php

Looking through the keyhole at Hexham’s life-saving global Health Links

International Development Minister Mike Foster today got a closer look at how medical staff at Hexham General Hospital are using unique and pioneering technology to help save lives in one of the world’s poorest countries. 

Surgeons from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are making use of ground-breaking video technology to provide desperately needed training to medical staff at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania. 

The technology, the first of its kind in England, broadcasts images and sounds via computer screens to facilitate training in surgical procedures. Nursing staff at both hospitals also use the link to take part in nurses’ forums and other training.

Video link systems like this would normally use expensive ISDN or satellite links that can cost thousands of pounds per hour. The unique system used by surgeons in Hexham provides a reliable service at a fraction of the price – the cost of a telephone call – by adapting the technology so that it works through normal broadband. It is hoped that soon the technology will also work via mobile phones.

International Development Minister, Mike Foster said:

“Over 9.2 million children die in developing countries before their fifth birthday and every single minute a woman dies in childbirth. Most of these deaths could be prevented by access to basic healthcare – medicine, medical facilities and crucially trained medical staff.

“This highly unique and innovative project is making a real difference to people living in extreme poverty in Tanzania. By training staff who can then serve their local community, the doctors and nurses here at Hexham have helped save many lives.”

The partnership between Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre has been in place for a number of years and is part of an international ‘health links ‘scheme which recently received three year annual budget of £1.25 million from the Department for International Development (DFID).

Professor Richard Walker, clinical lead of the Tanzania Partnership, said:

“We were delighted the Minister was able to take time to see first hand the important work the Trust does out in Tanzania. We’re very proud of the strong partnership we have built up with the medical teams in Tanzania and hope we can continue to work with them for many years to come.”

Northumbria Healthcare’s surgeons performed the first laparoscopic surgery in Tanzania through the link and now more than 250 patients have been successfully treated at the centre. Through the link the Trust’s surgeons have been able to provide advice on difficult cases for their Tanzanian counterparts whilst they are performing surgery. The Tanzanian government now wants KCMC to become a laparoscopic training centre for the whole country.

During the visit, the Minister saw a presentation of some of the work that has taken place between the two hospitals and heard how the video link project came about. The Minister then used the link to talk to medical staff in Tanzania to hear first hand how the video link is making a difference.

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Note to the editor:

DFID is providing a three-year annual £1.25 million budget to fund more Health Links. The Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET), together with the British Council, will jointly manage the ‘International Health Links Funding Scheme’.

Just one pence in every tax pound funds DFID’s work, which aims to help more than a billion people around the world – equivalent to one-in-five of the world’s population – who live in extreme poverty.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest healthcare employers in the North East, with over 6,000 staff working in 10 hospitals throughout Northumberland and North Tyneside. Northumbria serves a population of half a million people and has a budget of £270 million. The Trust manages three general hospitals in North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham and several community hospitals in Berwick, Alnwick, Rothbury, Haltwhistle, Blyth, Morpeth and Wallsend.

Earlier in the day, Mike Foster took part in a special question and answer session at the Linkskill Centre in North Shields, organised by local MP Alan Campbell.

Development Minister sees how East London medical staff are helping people in Uganda

Minister for International Development, Mike Foster visited East London NHS Foundation Trust today to see how their ‘Link’ with Butabika hospital in Uganda is helping medical staff learn new skills that will improve basic medical care.

Uganda has suffered a long history of political violence. In Northern Uganda the 21 year insurgency by the Lord’s Resistance Army has lead to the displacement of up to 1.3 million people and has been characterised by extreme brutality, sexual violence against women, and the use of child soldiers.

The ‘Link’ between Butabika and East London NHS Foundation Trust was established in September 2004. Since then staff from the London hospital have visited Uganda and provided training, such as Occupational Therapy and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which is playing a vital role in rehabilitating victims of conflict.

Staff from East London have helped the Ugandan hospital to open a drug and alcohol ward and set up a day programme for children at the hospital, as well as sending over a much-appreciated shipment of toys.

Similarly, Ugandan medical staff have come over to the UK to increase their knowledge in a range of specialist areas. Staff in East London also benefit from the cultural insight brought by the Ugandan staff, which they put into practice when working with the diverse population of East London.

During the visit Mike Foster met with Dr Joyce Nalguva, who is one of the few adolescent psychiatrists in her country. She has been working alongside UK psychiatrists to learn how she can support the young people in her home community, especially those who are affected by war.

Minister for International Development, Mike Foster said:

“Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered a devastating level of violence in the past decade, particularly in the North. This had led to an inevitable level of trauma, including vast numbers of child soldiers who are now being reintegrated into society.

“The DFID funded link between the East London NHS Foundation Trust and Bitabika hospital in Uganda is making a real difference to those in Uganda who are suffering from mental health conditions by sharing the skills, training and experience needed for local medical staff to better serve their communications.”

Pia MacRae, from the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) said:

“The East London – Butabika Link is a living example of what global health partnerships can achieve. Since the Link was established in 2004, the partnership has really expanded, building on the skills, hard work and commitment of British and Ugandan health professionals. Not only do the health practitioners at each end learn and develop, but the link has helped to strengthen further the provision of appropriate support to people with mental health needs in Uganda.”

Joyce Nalugya, a Ugandan psychiatrist benefiting from the Links scheme said:

“I decided to join the link because of my interest in children and adolescents’ mental health. Uganda is developing the service for children and adolescents and we are overwhelmed by the numbers of children affected by mental health issues due to war, HIV/AIDs and poverty. Despite all this we are limited by resources especially human resources.

The Link therefore is training doctors, nurses and psychiatric clinical officers in the management of children with mental health problems. My role is to provide the clinical support to the young people but also work with families and at the same time train medical students, Nurses, PCOs and post graduates in child and adolescent psychiatry.”

“I am so interested in working with schools especially special needs schools and organisations that work towards prevention of mental health problems. This experience is helping us learn from each other how best to deliver our services.”

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Note to the editor:

DFID is the Government Department that manages Britain’s aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty. www.dfid.gov.uk

THET is an international health charity committed to improving health services in developing countries through strengthening long-term capacity. Based in the UK, we have over twenty years experience working with health institutions around the world, promoting action that is practical, sustainable and responsive.

For further information, including images from the event please contact Erin Miwa at erin@thet.org.