How can the NHS lead the world in healthcare innovation? Innovation Ecosystem Programme report sets out recommendations

A new report from the Innovation Ecosystem Programme sets out recommendations to transform how the NHS develops and adopts healthcare innovations. The report highlights the NHS’s unique position to become a global leader in testing and implementing new technologies through its scale, integration with the UK’s thriving life sciences sector, and access to comprehensive health data.

Professor Hatim Abdulhussein, CEO of Health Innovation KSS said: “As part of the Health Innovation Network, we strongly endorse the Innovation Ecosystem Programme report’s findings, which provide a clear roadmap for establishing the NHS as a global leader in healthcare innovation. Our unique position at the heart of the health and social care system enables us to forge powerful partnerships between the NHS, innovators, life sciences organisations, academia, and the third sector. Alongside our partners, we are fully committed to driving forward the report’s four priority areas to accelerate NHS innovation adoption, drive economic growth and improve patient outcomes across our region.”

The report calls for urgent action to build stronger partnerships between the NHS and suppliers. The Innovation Ecosystem report provides a comprehensive set of recommendations:

• Setting clear national priorities
• Standardising innovation processes
• Building workforce capabilities
• Sharing best practices

Roland Sinker, CBE, Chief Executive of Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and National Director for Life Sciences, NHS England said: “Without embracing innovation, we put at risk having a sustainable healthcare system that meets the needs of our population….We believe the recommendations should be taken as a package. Our work shows there is no silver bullet that will enable a thriving ecosystem in this country. Prioritisation of work will be needed with clear plans for the delivery of actions over time. The delivery of the recommendations will require all partners to act.”

Following the publication of the report, its authors recommend that immediate action must include:

• Embedding recommendations; feeding the report’s recommendations into the development of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Innovation and Adoption Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan
• Enhancing governance; enhancing our cross-organisational governance– including how we may enhance the AAC (or equivalent) to deliver.
• Aligning priorities; agreeing the national priorities and beginning the work to align innovation activity and funding behind them
• Regional acceleration; start ‘Acceleration’ in a set of geographies to further refine recommendations and to start to make progress.

Read the full report 

Read the summary

Find out Health Innovation Networks are supporting recommendations here

About the Innovation Ecosystem Programme Review 

The Innovation Ecosystem Programme Review report was commissioned by the Chief Executive of NHS England in the Summer 2023, and has been led by Roland Sinker, Chief Executive at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The commission came with a mandate to foster collaboration between the NHS and key stakeholders, including industry, academia, and regulatory bodies. The intention being to both develop a set of recommendations and define a collaborative way of working – solving problems together as well as agreeing and delivering plans for the future.

The report summarises findings from the last 18 months. The report’s development was a collaborative effort with an Advisory Group made up of key health innovation system leaders, including the Health Innovation Network.

The report’s recommendations will help inform the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, the Innovation and Adoption Strategy and the Life Sciences Sector Plan.