The Excellence in Healthcare Partnerships (EHP) Awards has hosted the inaugural EHP Awards presentation and dinner that included an exclusive networking event and panel discussion.
It was a fantastic night spent celebrating the incredible achievements of this year’s standout healthcare collaborations and partnerships.
Congratulations to all the winners, highly commended entrants and finalists – your groundbreaking work is truly inspiring.
Before the Awards, there was a dynamic panel discussion, which was followed by an engaging and insightful networking drinks reception and exclusive dinner. The conversation moved beyond high-level theory into a practical, strategic exploration of how the government’s 10-year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan can strengthen the fundamentals of effective partnership working.
Facilitated by Roshani Perera of Visions4Health, the Panel Discussion, From Plan to Partnership: Navigating the Enablers and Challenges of Collaborative Working, focused on how the 10-year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan has paved the way for better partnership working.
Speakers included Siva Anandaciva, Director of Policy, Events and Partnerships – The King’s Fund; Luella Trickett, Director – Value & Access at Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI); Dr Amit Aggarwal, Executive Director, Medical Affairs & Strategic Partnerships – Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, NHS Board Director, Chief Medical Officer – Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex.
A number of key points arose from the discussion. The panel agreed that partnership is essential to tackle system pressures and deliver the 10-year Health Plan and life sciences ambitions. The focus needs to be on co-design, community engagement and humility as core principles – meeting needs where they are.
There is a need for clear governance, transparent publication of collaborations and upfront metrics to avoid mistrust and misuse. Successful models need to be multipartner (healthcare, industry, academia, local authorities) rather than bilateral, aiming for embedded, sustainable legacy.
Community partnership needs to be prioritised, to build trust and engage underserved and marginalised populations – across a large, diverse geography with coastal inequalities – to avoid designing inappropriate solutions.
Before partnering can be effectively implemented, the system/patient need (unmet need, pathway pressure, capacity, outcome variation or delivery challenge) needs to be Identified.
Partnerships should be designed to deliver system integration and embedded non-clinical skills (project governance, project management, data analysis, health economics) rather than just temporary clinical capacity.
The NHS/IBA provides strategic drive, with the industry acting as a delivery partner, with genuine pooling of expertise and funding rather than informal grants or sponsorships. The 10-year Health Plan and life sciences sector plan needs to feature health tech extensively, with procurement being problem-driven rather than technology-driven.
The EHP Awards are brought to you by PMGroup Worldwide Ltd and Visions4Health.