The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Research held a roundtable in Parliament on 9^th July 2019 to create a shared understanding between the sector and those involved in the delivery of the Long-Term Plan around how research and innovation will be implemented in the NHS.  

The Government’s target to increase the UK’s research intensity to 2.4% of GDP by 2024, the announcement of a funding increase for the NHS of £20 billion, and the now-published ten-year Long-Term Plan provide an opportunity to harness the NHS’s unique potential for research and innovation.  

The Long-Term Plan includes welcome commitments for research and innovation in the NHS, as well as transforming the service through a range of data and digital measures. However, the Long-Term Plan ‘s research and innovation plans must be understood by all if they are to be successfully implemented.  

The roundtable brought together perspectives from Parliamentarians and key sector stakeholders with officials from across the healthcare system to better understand likely barriers and opportunities, how certain commitments will be delivered, and any specific areas of implementation that can be coordinated.  

Chair of the APPG on Medical Research, Chris Green MP, commented:  

“Research and innovation represent this country’s best hope for the future, offering ways to tackle the grand challenges in the UK and across the world.

“Early alignment is vital to the successful transformation of NHS research and innovation. To ensure the nation benefits from their potential, a joined-up approach between Government and the medical research sector is now needed to capitalise on the UK’s world-leading position.

“Research and innovation must be developed hand in hand with concrete input from patients if we are to achieve the ambitions of the NHS Long-Term Plan.” 

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If you would like more information on this event, please email [email protected]