Promoting NHS and industry joint working

An event to facilitate closer working between the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry has been established. 'The QIPP Challenge', which will take place on Tuesday June 29 at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, has been organised by the North West's joint NHS and Pharma Leading Change Group, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the NHS Life Sciences Innovation Delivery Board. The role of the NHS Life Sciences Innovation Delivery Board is to increase the use of cost-effective medicines and medical technologies; to improve relationships between the life sciences sector (pharmaceuticals, medical technology and diagnostics) and the NHS, and to increase the attractiveness of the UK as a site for clinical trials and new product development.

Over the next three years, the NHS will need to realise between £15bn and £20bn in efficiency savings. According to Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of the NHS in England: "Our best chance lies in improving quality and productivity, linked together by innovation driving sustained improvements."

With this in mind, the QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention) Challenge will help identify specific areas where the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry can work in partnership to improve quality and productivity by encouraging innovation and new ideas. There will be an opportunity for selected NHS and pharmaceutical companies to present to each other on areas where they believe partnerships can be established in the future.

Peter Rowe, national medicines QIPP work stream lead, will open the session. There will then be the opportunity for a number of NHS groups to present their QIPP related challenges to an invited audience of senior pharmaceutical company managers. During the second half of the day, NHS personnel will have the opportunity to meet directly with pharmaceutical industry representatives, to discuss in more detail how they can build an effective business partnership to meet the needs of patients.

Mark Wilkinson, director of life sciences innovation for the NHS, said: "This unique event will bring together NHS organisations that wish to work with pharmaceutical companies that have great ideas about improving NHS quality and productivity."

More info can be found on the QIPP website