Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suggestions in the report by the Academy of Medical Sciences Transforming health through innovation: integrating the NHS and academia, published on 8 January, that NHS breakthroughs have been put at risk.

The Department funds health research in England through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which invests over £1 billion annually to fund translational, clinical and applied health research spanning the whole innovation pathway. Since it was established in 2006, the NIHR has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research, and driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the health system.

The NHS Long Term Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Deals sets out a clear vision of a health system which prioritises innovation and delivers faster patient access to life-changing products. The Accelerated Access Collaborative has been established to act as the umbrella organisation overseeing the ecosystem. It brings together the leaders from Government, the National Health Service and industry to tackle the barriers to the development and adoption of innovation in the United Kingdom.