Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the adoption of health technology innovation in the NHS.

The Department is looking to encourage greater innovation in the health sector to help support the three big shifts in healthcare, from hospitals to communities, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention, which are set out as part of the Government’s Health Mission.

The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan, as part of the United Kingdom’s industrial strategy, and the 10-Year Health Plan present significant opportunities to strengthen the UK’s life sciences sector and ensure that innovation is embedded across the healthcare system. This will build on the Department’s MedTech Strategy, published in February 2023, and the subsequent One Year On Report in April 2024, outlining our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the National Health Service.

The 15 Health Innovation Networks across England are our regional support structure for the development and adoption of health innovation. These networks are health innovation adoption experts, with each delivering services for their local population, as well as working as a national network. They transform lives through innovation by supporting health and social care teams to find, test, and implement new solutions at scale to tackle one of the NHS’ greatest challenges, driving economic growth.