Health and Social Care Industry Collaboration Summit

I was delighted to attend the Health and Social Care Industry Collaboration Summit hosted by Bournemouth University . The event supported by Innovate UK and Dorset LEP providing a supporting wrapper for a stimulating discussion amongst healthcare innovators, university researchers and health and social care leaders looking at accelerating market access for innovative MedTech and life science products.

A key standout was the need to clearly understand the patient and system benefit as well as the source of funding. These three factors are the minimum requirements and essential elements of creating a compelling business case for change. There’s no point in starting if you cannot see where the funding will come from, was a stark message. In my ‘old’ CCG role I would often encounter business cases that proposed a significant saving but were unable to crystallise out any cash. An assumption that the saving would be put to good use somewhere else. I’m not aware of that ever happening.

A significant barrier to adoption is the need to demonstrate future outcomes when often the innovation will change the way of working so there isn’t a direct comparator. A topic very familiar to my colleagues from the Petauri teams at Petauri Evidence and Petauri Evidence HEOR , who reliably build evidence and model-based cases that achieve approval through NICE using sophisticated science-based arguments where there isn’t a plethora of available clinical evidence.

Nationally there is a wealth of support for early-stage innovations, the XXXX is an excellent place to start the entrepreneur’s journey. What is less clear is the ecosystem for global organisations who could collaborate to make transformative changes. Has Global Pharma been relegated to supplier contracts and pricing negotiations? The good news is that there are great examples of this working, and it would be fantastic to see this contribution included by the innovation and growth organisations to create the bigger picture of commitment to support our nation as health. The timing would be right, as many have restructured to focus on above brand initiatives; an opportunity to drive value that is wider than the sum of the available product benefits.

There also a need for better visibility of specialised commissioning in the conversation, high value and orphan drugs play an important role and need to be included in the round. It’s the same story for mental health and those waiting far too long for an ADHD, ADD or autism support. Also missing is dental health, particularly for children on what must feel like the infinity waiting list. We should shout about great innovation that is ways of working based. One great example is the inspiring work at Health Sciences University on this front for children’s dental health; exploring health system solutions that combine learning with service delivery.

Prevention as a strategy makes a great deal of sense. Yet there is uncertainty about how to create a compelling evidence case proving something will be prevented. I am sure this question will rise in significance as the national agenda tries to wrestle with the conflict between cost reduction and prevention. Health economics, outcomes research, and market access support will be essential in this context.

I am fortunate to be collaborating with a talented team of experts who have a record of accelerating new innovations to market. We support the entire product lifecycle, from designing evidence gathering at the clinical trial stage to achieving successful regulatory compliance. Additionally, we develop digitally enhanced tools to support healthcare professionals and market access teams. And together accelerate the time to patient benefit.

Please reach out if you are interested in collaboration opportunities.

Gemma Snell Kathy Wallis Anand Pandyan Prof Lesley Haig Ian Newington Tim Goodson Sarah Chessell Tom Wainwright Kevin Brooks Cecilia Bufton Professor Alison Honour Health Innovation Wessex Wessex Health Partners

#nhscollaboration #ukmarketaccess #healthinnovation #HEOR #healtheconomics