The NHS Confederation and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) have published a new report that highlights how integrated care systems (ICSs) in the UK and the pharmaceutical industry can work better together to change millions of lives.
In addition, the ABPI has also published a library of more than 100 successful NHS-industry partnerships.
NHS-industry partnerships are frequently held back by persistent practical and cultural barriers, including mistrust and anxiety in the NHS around working with industry, which discourages innovation and new practices.
Compiled from a series of webinars involving 60 NHS leaders representing 13 ICSs, the report: Partnering with purpose: How integrated care systems and industry can work better together, aims to overcome those barriers to deliver full positive potential.
All 80 senior NHS and industry leaders who attended agreed that the benefits of partnerships, including better patient outcomes, reduced operational pressures and more preventative care, were significant.
The report offers a real opportunity for ICSs to instigate new partnerships to bring together ‘anchor institutions’ such as NHS organisations, councils, community groups and industry to improve local population health, tackle health inequalities and boost local economies.
Sarah Walter, director of the ICS Network, NHS Confederation, explained that “cross-sector partnerships can help in a variety of ways,” including “bringing in additional capacity and introducing different skills and areas of expertise”.
At present, the NHS Confederation has an ongoing programme of health economic partnerships and is currently supporting ICSs to develop and implement anchor approaches and industry partnerships.
Both the NHS Confederation and the ABPI will work together to unite the NHS and industry leaders in 2024 to develop practical guidance for partnerships, optimise pathways of care, and improve patient outcomes and NHS efficiency.
In addition, the ABPI’s library of case studies was published as evidence of successful partnerships to stimulate further cross-sector collaboration.
Brian Duggan, strategic partnerships director at the ABPI, said: “These projects have made a real difference to patients or helped NHS organisations save time and valuable resources.
“We want to support ICSs help build capacity across the system and be equal partners to solving the health challenges we face as a nation.”