The development of ‘health technology campuses’ at sites around the UK reflects a new spirit of collaboration between the NHS and industry, according to a new report on the subject.
UK Health Technology Campuses – A New Phenomenon for the NHS gives details of 13 sites in England, Wales and Scotland, where the NHS is working with partners from industry and academia with the aim of accelerating the development of innovative medical technology.
The report has been published by the MedTECH Centre. It plans to update the publication regularly to document developments in the sector and provide an overview of the facilities available.
Keith Chantler, Executive Director of TRUSTECH, one of the partners in the MedTECH Centre, explains: “The NHS is rightly regarded as one of the leading public healthcare systems in the world. What is perhaps not so widely appreciated is the growing level of collaboration between the NHS and industry.
“In the past, the NHS relationship with the private sector has sometimes led to delay and increased risks in bringing products to market. This can inhibit innovation and result in a high failure rate of medical start-ups, and increased development costs that are eventually passed on to the healthcare customer.