The power of partnerships between the NHS, industry and the third sector for better patient experience and outcomes

“In my career, this is one of the few things where I can tangibly say that this has saved very many lives. There are thousands of people walking around now that would have been dead. This is game changing.”

This quote, shared during NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester, came from an NHS clinician involved in a hepatitis C programme developed and delivered in partnership between industry and the NHS.

It captured the tone of a wider discussion during the session “NHS-industry partnerships in practice: delivering better outcomes for patients and the NHS”, which explored how collaboration across sectors can help improve patient outcomes and reduce pressure across the health system.

A lot of the discussion in this session echoed themes raised earlier this year at the ABPI conference by speakers from the ABPI, NHS England, The King’s Fund and National Voices. Across both events there was clear recognition that large-scale change will depend on cross-sector partnerships between the NHS, industry, charities and patient organisations.

The speakers at today’s session were Brian Duggan, Strategic Partnership Policy Director at the ABPI, and Dr Rakesh Marwaha, Managing Partner and CEO at Erewash Health Partnership and Erewash PCN.

Historic cross-sector tensions and obstacles

The discussion was candid about both the opportunities and the tensions that still exist around partnership working, and the historic distrust some parts of the NHS have felt towards industry.

Dr Marwaha spoke openly about why some primary care organisations remain cautious about working with pharmaceutical companies. He acknowledged that some of the distrust dates back 20 to 25 years, when relationships with industry were often perceived as being heavily focused on prescribing and commercial interests.

Interestingly, Dr Marwaha also acknowledged that obstacles to partnership working do not only come from the NHS side. He said some pharmaceutical companies were comfortable offering grants, but found practical partnership arrangements  more difficult because it required a different relationship, mindset and approach.

Overcoming historic obstacles

Dr Marwaha said the solution to many of these historic barriers was actually relatively simple in practice: partnerships must create clear benefits for everyone involved.

One phrase he returned to several times was the idea of a ‘win-win-win,win’, meaning partnerships should deliver clear benefits for patients, clinicians and practices, industry partners and the wider population. Openness about each partner's contribution can help build trust and reduce the suspicion that sometimes surrounds cross-sector working.

Brian Duggan also reflected on how the NHS and industry have started trying to overcome some of these historic barriers.

He described how, for many years, the NHS and pharmaceutical industry had separate guidance on partnership working, with both sectors effectively operating from different assumptions, systems and expectations.

He described this as “the definition of the problem,” arguing that organisations cannot collaborate properly if both sides are effectively working from separate rulebooks.

This recognition helped drive the development of joint NHS-industry partnership guidance published by the ABPI, designed to create a more shared understanding of how collaborative working should operate in practice.

The guidance also includes practical templates and tools designed to help organisations build collaborations more confidently and consistently.

You can read the guidance here: https://www.abpi.org.uk/publications/accelerating-transformation-how-to-develop-effective-nhs-industry-partnerships/

Moving towards a new era of mutually beneficial collaboration

Looking ahead, Dr Marwaha spoke about the need for partnerships across the wider health system to continue growing, particularly as the NHS focuses more heavily on prevention, population health and reducing inequalities.

It was also striking how many different parts of the sector were represented in the room. NHS leaders, primary care organisations, pharmaceutical companies, patient groups and charities were all contributing to the same conversation.

There was a strong sense throughout the session that organisations across the NHS, industry and the third sector often want the same things for patients, even if they approach the work from different directions.

In practice, these partnerships could take many forms. They could include charities helping shape patient information and user involvement, NHS organisations identifying unmet need and clinical priorities, and industry contributing evidence, funding, technical expertise or implementation support.

For organisations working in health information, there is also a clear opportunity to strengthen collaboration across sectors. Trusted, accessible health information increasingly depends on different organisations being able to combine expertise rather than working in isolation.

PIF already works in partnership with organisations across the NHS, third sector and industry, including the ABPI, and brings together charities, patient groups, NHS organisations, academics and pharmaceutical companies through the same network.

That cross-sector perspective creates opportunities to share good practice, build relationships and support more joined-up approaches to trusted health information.

PIF has also worked in partnership with the ABPI on guidance focused specifically on relationships between industry and patient organisations. The handbook explores areas including transparency, trust, governance and practical partnership working.

You can read the handbook here: https://pifonline.org.uk/resources/abpi-industry-patient-partnership-handbook/