{{Short description|British cardiac surgeon}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox medical person | honorific_prefix = | name = Ben Bridgewater | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name above --> | birth_date = <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | birth_place = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | death_cause = | website = | profession = Physician | field = | work_institutions = Health Innovation Manchester | specialism = Cardiac surgery }}

'''Ben Bridgewater''' is the Chief Executive of Health Innovation Manchester<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 50 healthcare innovator appointed as Health Innovation Manchester’s Chief Executive Officer |url=https://healthinnovationmanchester.com/news-archive/top-50-healthcare-innovator-appointed-as-health-innovation-manchesters-chief-executive-officer/ |access-date=2025-11-10 |website=Health Innovation Manchester |language=en}}</ref> and became the Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Alexandra |date=2025-10-06 |title=Ben Bridgewater appointed Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network - The Health Innovation Network |url=https://thehealthinnovationnetwork.co.uk/news/ben-bridgewater-appointed-executive-chair-of-the-health-innovation-network/ |access-date=2025-11-10 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Career== {{BLP sources section|date=July 2023}} Since 2018, Ben has led Health Innovation Manchester as Chief Executive through a period of transformation, securing significant external investment and delivering programmes such as the Greater Manchester Care Record and pioneering work in obesity care. Ben was made Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network in 2025.

Between January 2016 and February 2018, Ben worked for CSC (which became DXC Technology following a merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services in April 2017), initially as the UK&I Director of Healthcare strategy and then as the Director of the Healthcare and Lifesciences Global Build Advisory team for DXC Technology.

Until January 2016, he was a cardiac surgeon at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180209122242/https://www.uhsm.nhs.uk/hospitals/wythenshawe-hospital/ ''University Hospital of South Manchester''] for nearly 18 years, described by the Health Service Journal judges as "one of the leaders in measuring quality in the NHS".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hqip.org.uk/consultant-outcomes-publication-director-ben-bridgewater-named-hsj-top-innovator/|title=HQIP OUTCOMES DIRECTOR BRIDGEWATER NAMED AS HSJ 'TOP INNOVATOR'|work=Press release|publisher=Health Quality Improvement Partnership|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006113219/http://hqip.org.uk/consultant-outcomes-publication-director-ben-bridgewater-named-hsj-top-innovator/|archivedate=6 October 2014|url-status=dead|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref>

Bridgewater was a pioneer in opening up data about outcomes in cardiac surgery down to the level of individual surgeons.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consultant treatment outcomes|url=http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/consu-treat-outc/|website=NHS England|accessdate=2 October 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006154641/http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/consu-treat-outc/|archivedate=6 October 2014}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=October 2014}}

Working with the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland, of which he is a leading member, he has helped to devise a system which enables patients waiting for heart surgery to check the track record of cardiac surgeons and their hospitals on-line before their operation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heart patients will be able to check their surgeon's track record|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/heart-patients-will-be-able-to-check-their-surgeons-track-record-8538327.html|accessdate=2 October 2014|publisher=Independent|date=18 March 2013}}</ref> Measuring clinical outcomes in cardiac surgery has led to a 50% reduction in mortality rates over the past 10 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=NHS reforms: the consultant cardiac surgeon's view |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/mar/15/nhs-reforms-consultant-cardiac-surgeons-view |accessdate=1 October 2014 |work=The Guardian |date=15 March 2012}}</ref> He has also helped to create a system, working with the Picker Institute Europe to develop a system which makes public online data for all of University Hospital of South Manchester Trust's consultants.<ref>{{cite news|title=University Hospital of South Manchester Trust publishes consultant data|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-22878990|accessdate=2 October 2014|publisher=BBC News|date=13 June 2013}}</ref>

He led the publication of surgeon level activity and mortality outcomes reporting across 13 specialities on behalf of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership 2013-2016 - [https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002810/https://www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/clinical-outcomes-publication/a-z-of-outcomes-publication HQIP Consultant Outcomes] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002925/https://www.hqip.org.uk/public/cms/253/625/19/546/COP%20technical%20manual%20FINAL%2005%2005%2016.pdf?realName=soplTL.pdf&v=0 HQIP Clinical Outcomes Technical Manual].

He was a vocal participant in the debate about the Health and Social Care Act 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Top heart surgeon at Wythenshawe Hospital blasts 'unfair and naïve' NHS reforms |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/top-heart-surgeon-at-wythenshawe-hospital-684734 |accessdate=1 October 2014 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=19 May 2012}}</ref>

==Publications== *[http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/audio-video/ben-bridgewater-measuring-outcomes-surgery Ben Bridgewater: measuring outcomes for surgery] Kings Fund 2011 * Fourth EACTS Adult Cardiac Surgical Database Report: Towards Global Benchmarking (with Peter K. H. Walton, Robin Kinsman and Jan Gummert) 2010 * Sixth National Adult Cardiac Surgical Database Report 2008: Demonstrating Quality (with Sir Bruce Keogh, Robin Kinsman and Peter K. H. Walton) July 2009)

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://healthinnovationmanchester.com Health Innovation Manchester] *[http://thehealthinnovationnetwork.co.uk Health Innovation Network] *[http://hqip.org.uk Health Quality Improvement Partnership] *[http://heartvalvevoice.com Heart Valve Voice] *[http://www.scts.org Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgewater, Ben}} Category:British cardiac surgeons Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century British surgeons