The NHS has announced the formation of a new Life Sciences Innovation Delivery Board (LSIDB) to develop innovation in drugs and medical technologies in the UK.
The announcement comes days after the decision to create the Centre for Workforce Intelligence which aims to offer guidance and control on the quality of workforce planning across the health service, as the NHS seeks to realise between £15bn and £20bn in efficiency savings.
According to a statement, the LSIDB, will aim to “increase the use of cost effective medicines and medical technologies, improve relationships between the life sciences sector and the NHS and increase the attractiveness of the UK as a site for clinical trials and product development.”
The LSIDB will be made up of senior NHS leaders, regulators – including the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), senior policy makers and industry leaders from the field of life sciences.
The UK life sciences industry, which includes pharmaceuticals, medical technology and diagnostics, employs over 120,000 people and invests around £5bn in R&D in the UK. It is hoped the creation of the board will develop an effective partnership with the NHS, increasing quality and efficiency of service both from and between the two bodies.
Mike Farrar, chief executive of NHS North West and chairman of the LSIDB, says: “This is an exciting and important initiative for the NHS. It’s hard to think of a more significant, mutually reliant relationship that is conducted under such difficult circumstances. The aim of this new Board is to enable the life sciences industry and the NHS to work together in collaboration for the benefit of patients. This can only be good news for all parties concerned.”