The Independent Investigation into the National Health Service in England is a diagnostic on the current status of the NHS. Overall, the review reported that the NHS was in a “serious trouble” and the health of the nation had worsened, impacted by factors outside the health service’s control such as the austerity programme, lack of capital spending and the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Poor service performance is clear to see with access issues and long waiting lists across GP practices, community and mental health services, and A&E. Additionally, waiting times are being missed for routine surgery as well as cancer and cardiac services.
However, whilst the NHS is in “critical condition, it’s vital signs are strong.” The key recommendations from the report include:
- Re-engage staff and re-empower patients: Harness their talents to make positive change
- Lock in the shift of care closer to home, rewiring financial flows: General practice, community care and mental health will need to receive a larger proportion of the NHS budget
- Simplify and innovate care delivery for a neighbourhood NHS: Embrace new multidisciplinary models of care
- Drive productivity in hospitals: Drive down waiting lists by boosting productivity through capital investment and better operational management
- Tilt towards technology: Realize the potential of digital to unlock productivity, in particular outside of hospitals, as well as the potential of AI and life sciences to create new treatments
- Contribute to the nation’s prosperity: The NHS has the potential to support people back to work and it should also better support British biopharmaceutical companies
- Reform to make the structure deliver for all patients: Clarify management roles and responsibilities whilst ensuring management is structured proportionally in all parts of the system
Some key insights from the investigation that we believe are valuable to those in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries include:
- There is now a focus on “national prosperity” in regard to the British biopharmaceutical industry and the key link between productivity and health of working age adults
- In the past decade, NHS spending on drugs for specialised services has grown at 8.9% per year, while for devices it has increased 10.2% annually, outpacing the growth of the total NHS budget
- There are significant disparities in adoption of therapies and how quickly patients are able to access new treatments. An example in cancer care was given, where nine provider Trusts took less than one month to provide a therapy after NICE approval whilst another nine Trusts took more than a year. The investigation said there was “no excuse for such wide variation.”
Some additional considerations for those in the industry:
- How will NHS performance measures evolve to change what needs to be reformed and how ready will life sciences be to react and support?
- Management structures are likely to evolve to enable a neighbourhood NHS and a focus on managing local change. This will mean industry will need to reconsider their stakeholder engagement approach
- The report mentions “hardwiring financial flows” to support those with long term conditions and support care out of hospital. It also highlights spending on specialised services, particularly their associated drugs and devices costs. If the aim is to spend more on services in the community, could budgets for specialised services face a rebalance? Regardless, industry will need to “follow the money” and understand its role in support evolving care pathways
- With the “tilt” to technology, how can industry support the NHS with new digital pathways outside of hospital? Could partnerships with life sciences evolve further to encompass data/insight driven pathway optimisation and support on the prevention agenda?
- How can life sciences ensure that they are a pivotal partner to support NHS reform including enabling a partnering and research culture be embedded into a neighbourhood NHS?
While this investigation highlights some core themes for the government to consider, we await the major policy positions that will be laid out in the ten-year plan, which is anticipated to land in Spring 2025.
If you want to discuss in more detail how these policy indicators might affect your local access and customer engagement approach for your brand or therapeutic area, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
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