West Side Stories

Black Maternity Natters: Ep 1 - Sonah Paton, Black Mothers Matter

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0100

In this first episode of our new Black Maternity Natters strand, Ann Remmers talks with Sonah Paton, managing director of Bristol-based Black Mothers Matter and one of the founding members of our Black Maternity Matters collaborative.

Sonah shares the story of how Black Mothers Matter came into being as a grassroots organisation led by and for Black women and what makes this organisation so very special. She talks about their successes, what she's found most challenging, and what nourishes and brings her most joy.

Programme notes

Black Mothers Matter

Girl, Woman Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Black Maternity Matters

Connect with Black Maternity Matters on socials: Instagram and LinkedIn

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

Black Maternity Natters: Trailer

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Welcome to a special taster episode of a new strand of our West Side Stories podcast.

The incredible Black Maternity Matters Collaborative came into being back in 2022, inspired by the vision that one day, Black mothers will no longer be disproportionately in danger during pregnancy and the first year after birth. Statistics show that Black women are significantly more likely to die in childbirth than white women, and their babies are more likely to be stillborn.

Our Senior Project Manager, Noshin Menzies-Emamiannaeini, and Clinical Lead, Ann Remmers, are here to tell you more about the work of the collaborative and what you can expect from future episodes of Black Maternity Natters.

Find out more about Black Maternity Matters here.

Connect with Black Maternity Matters on socials: Instagram and LinkedIn

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

Ep 2: Tasha Swinscoe and Pete Carpenter - the ingredients for successful adoption and spread of innovation

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0100

In this programme, we get to the heart of what the health innovation networks are all about - supporting the adoption and spread of proven innovation into healthcare. We hear from two of our directors, Tasha Swinscoe and Peter Carpenter, who share their insights and reflections on the different ingredients needed for successful scaling of innovation. They also explore the role of the Health Innovation Network in this space, and highlight a few examples of innovations developed here in the West Country that we've helped to spread further afield.

Programme notes

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

QualiTea: Episode 2 - Lotus Blossom

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Join Becca Lunn and Sarah White from Health Innovation West of England's Academy team for the second episode of QualiTea.

So what is QualiTea? Quite simply, it's time for a cup of tea and a useful conversation. Each episode is a short, informal chat between Sarah and Becca, focusing on one simple improvement tool. They'll use relatable examples and talk about how you might actually use it in your day-to-day work to help you think a bit differently about a problem. Not in theory, in real life.

In this episode, we're looking at Lotus Blossom - a structured brainstorming exercise used to expand on a central idea or problem, great for coming up with new solutions when you thought you had run out of ideas.

So grab a brew, get comfortable, and let's get started.

Programme notes

Visit the West of England Academy

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

QualiTea: Episode 1 - TRIZ

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Join Becca Lunn and Sarah White from Health Innovation West of England's Academy team for the first episode of QualiTea.

In this episode, we're looking at TRIZ - one of Sarah's favourite facilitation tools and which, according to Becca, gives you the chance to let your evil genius out of the bag!

So grab a brew, get comfortable, and let's get started.

Programme notes

Watch our video about TRIZ

Visit the West of England Academy

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England

Ep 1: Ann Remmers and Asha Dhany

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

In our very first episode of West Side Stories, Senior Project Manager, Asha Dhany, is in conversation with our Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Lead, Ann Remmers, who looks back at her 50+ years in midwifery.

Ann reflects on the changes she's seen in the profession and shares the insights she's gained in senior leadership roles. Ann also talks about the continuing success of the Black Maternity Matters collaboration, which is delivering anti-racist training to help tackle the awful disparity in outcomes for Black and Brown mothers.

Programme notes

Got feedback or an idea for a future programme?

Find out more about Health Innovation West of England