Connecting innovation, data and patient experience through cross-sector partnership

The ABPI conference brought together leaders from across the NHS, industry and the voluntary sector to explore how the UK can strengthen its position in medicines, vaccines and clinical research. Partnership between the NHS, industry and the voluntary sector stood out as critical to unlocking progress. 

Across the day, three priority areas for partnership stood out:

• Getting medicines and vaccines to patients in practice.
• Where the UK can lead globally.
• How health data can strengthen clinical trials.

Partnership as the connecting thread

Across all sessions, one theme was consistent. The challenges sit between organisations.

Sarah Woolnough from The King’s Fund highlighted that partnership is not yet happening at scale. She reflected that wider and less traditional partnerships across the sectors is essential for improvement and growth: “There is still cultural hesitancy… you end up partnering with the same places or the same people.”

This shows a wider pattern across the system. Even where strong partnerships exist, they are not always widespread or consistent. Stronger, broader and more intentional partnership across the NHS, industry and the voluntary sector is needed to:

• Improve uptake of medicines and vaccines
• Unlock the value of health data
• Strengthen clinical trials
• Ensure equitable access for patients

From approval to uptake

The opening session focused on ensuring medicines and vaccines reach NHS patients. The discussion made clear that the major challenge right now is implementation.

Helen Knight from NICE highlighted the gap between decision-making and real-world impact: “There is a big conversation for us all to have about uptake, which is still not anywhere near what we would all collectively want to see.”

She went further, noting that approval alone is not enough: “We can get a decision through the regulator, a positive decision from NICE, but it’s meaningless if we're not actually seeing that value.”

From an NHS perspective, Fiona Bride highlighted a key system barrier: “We know that our adoption of the innovation can be slow… we've got to start having that consistency of access for all patients.”

Together, these perspectives point to a system that is strong at assessing innovation, but less consistent at delivering it.

Patient experience and access

Speakers were clear that this gap is most visible at the patient level. Jacob Lant from National Voices described the disconnect between innovation and real-world access: “We do have pretty good rigorous approaches to testing new innovations… but then the implementation… is a bit rubbish at times.”

He also captured the experience many patients face: “I've been promised all of this stuff, but now I can't access it...”

There was also a clear focus on inequality, with some communities more likely to miss out on innovation. He encouraged: “Let's target it at the communities we know who will struggle the most to access innovative treatments.”

This reinforces that improving uptake is not only about system design. It is about trust, communication and ensuring people can actually access what is available.

Where the UK can win

The second session focused on the UK’s global strengths. Health data was consistently identified as a major advantage. The scale and depth of NHS data is seen as “second to none”.

However, this potential is not yet fully realised. Data is often fragmented, difficult to access and not always usable across the system.

Helen Knight highlighted the need for earlier, more joined-up planning: “We're not just saying what's in the work programme for the next year… it's what's going to be coming… in two to five years' time… and actually trying to get an aligned view of what is going to be needed.”

Unlocking this potential will depend on stronger collaboration across sectors to align priorities and make better use of data.

Health data and clinical trials

The final session explored whether the UK can become a leading clinical trial location in Europe. The UK has strong foundations, including a single health system, rich data and established regulatory processes. However, these strengths are not always joined up in practice.

As with medicines and vaccines, the challenge is less about capability and more about alignment across the system. Strengthening collaboration across organisations will be key to improving both trial delivery and patient access to innovation.

What this means for PIF members

The themes from the conference strongly reinforce the role of trusted health information. There is a clear gap between innovation and patient experience. High quality, accessible and evidence-based information helps bridge that gap, supporting both uptake and equity. Through the PIF membership, organisations are already working across sectors to improve how health information is produced, shared and used. 

PIF has partnered with ABPI to produce guidance on building better partnerships - you can see it here.  A supporting  case study library of good practice examples shows the powerful impact of partnership in action - you can find it here.

The PIF TICK provides a shared framework to support this, helping organisations produce information that is evidence-based, user-centred and trusted. This is reflected by some of the case studies in the library.

The conference highlighted the strength of the PIF cross-sector community. Across our membership, organisations are already coming together to respond to many of the shared challenges raised throughout the day, from improving access to tackling misinformation and supporting patient understanding. It is something we should feel proud of. There is also an opportunity to build on this further.

What we can do as a community

Many of the challenges discussed, from slow uptake to unequal access, are closely linked to how health information is created, shared and used. There are clear ways we can collectively help address this:

• Make innovation visible and understandable. Ensure new treatments and pathways are clearly explained, so people know what is available and how it applies to them
• Support better conversations in practice. Develop information that helps clinicians and patients have more confident, balanced discussions
• Design for those most likely to miss out. Work with seldom-heard communities to create information that is accessible, relevant and culturally appropriate
• Strengthen signposting and navigation. Make it easier for people to find trusted information and support.
• Share insight across the sector. Use the PIF community to share what works in improving access, understanding and uptake.

None of this sits with one organisation alone. But together, these actions can help close the gap between innovation and patient experience. 

By continuing to connect organisations, share learning and strengthen collaboration, we can play a meaningful role in ensuring that innovation delivers real benefit for patients.