New package of support will help accelerate access to medicines and tech

A new package of support worth up to £86 million is set to benefit companies across the UK for the development of medicines and technologies to help patients being treated through the NHS.

Businesses will be able to bid for funding to develop and test new medicines and technologies in the NHS, including digital technologies to assist patients in the management of their diseases from home rather than in a hospital.

Across the North West the Innovation Agency will be in charge of assessing the benefits of new technologies and will support NHS uptake of those that are deemed to deliver real benefits to patients according to the local need.

“The Academic Health Science Networks support the healthcare system to quickly identify and spread new, better and cheaper ways to deliver services for patients and populations. Since we were set up in 2013 our work has benefited six million people and we have spread more than 200 innovations across the health and care system,” said Innovation Agency chief executive Dr Liz Mear. “We will build on our existing track record of matching products to challenges and directing our networks and expertise to assess innovations and speed up their spread across the country.”

The funding will be split into four packages: £39 million of funding available to the Academic Health Science Networks; £35 million to go to the Digital Health Technoloy Catalyst; £6 million to support small-to-medium enterprises with innovative medicines and devices; £6 million for the Pathway Transformation Fund to help the integration of technologies into everyday practice at NHS organisations.

The Innovation Agency is one of 15 Academic Health Science Networks, set up by NHS England to accelerate the spread of innovation, improve the health of local communities and generate economic growth. It covers Cheshire, Merseyside, South Cumbria and Lancashire, serving a population of around four million residents.