An NHS fit for the future: The vital role of university health partnerships

On 3 July, the UK Government published its 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS in England.  

The Plan sets out three systemic shifts: hospital to community-based care, analogue to digital technology, and treatment to prevention. At its heart lies a commitment to research and innovation as drivers for change - an ambition that resonates deeply with our strategy at King’s Health Partners (KHP) and the evidence outlined in our joint report with the Policy Institute.  

We welcome a number of commitments outlined in the UK Government’s 10 Year Health Plan: 

1. Research and innovation at the heart of the NHS 

Science and technology are front and centre in the Plan and the UK Government have made a commitment to make the NHS the most AI-enabled health system in the world. Partnerships between clinicians, academics and industry will accelerate innovations and help them reach patients and communities, faster. This vision will be further realised through SC1 London, a health and life sciences innovation district involving King’s Health Partners, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation and Lambeth and Southwark Councils. 

2. Investing in a skilled workforce 

In an NHS that is under continuous pressure, not enough people are given the time to develop skills. Urgency often trumps what is most important for a sustainable health system and workforce in the long term. Through university health partnerships, we have the opportunity to develop our workforce and develop healthcare leaders of the future. 

3. Research-active hospitals deliver better care 

Evidence shows that patients who receive care from professionals who are active in research have better outcomes. Advancing technologies will free up some of our workforce’s clinical commitments and increase the amount of time available for research. Career development opportunities and training will also strengthen the workforce of tomorrow. 

4. Prioritising university health partnerships 

The Government’s ambition is to transform the NHS into a global research and innovation powerhouse. Success will depend on making research, development and innovation a core part of everyday clinical care – not just a ‘nice to have’. University health partnerships must be business as usual.  

5. Prioritising clinical academic roles 

Clinical academic roles have been on the decline for years. The Government intends to prioritise clinical academic roles, further integrating research into clinical practice.  

We welcome the Plan’s much-needed focus on research, innovation and partnerships between healthcare providers, universities and industry. What’s important now is action. By providing the evidence base, a strengthened workforce, and testing innovations locally to inform change nationally, university health partnerships are critical for the success of the 10 Year Health Plan.  

Policy roundtable: How we will deliver  

Our commitment to driving change through policy and practice is reflected on our new health policy event series in collaboration with the Policy Institute. On 24 June, we hosted our first roundtable event, as part of a new collaborative health policy series to discuss the vital role university health partnerships have to play in supporting the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. More than 70 leaders from government departments and academia, healthcare, and community organisations gathered at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering.  

Five key insights from roundtable discussions 

1. Partnership with our communities: University health partnerships must be more inclusive, transparent, and community-driven to deliver equitable and impactful innovation. Diverse community partnerships and co-creation are essential to ensure research is meaningful and benefits minoritised communities  

2. Innovation at scale: Innovation must reach beyond individual partner sites and widespread adoption of evidence-based care is critical to eliminate unwarranted variation  

3.  Transparency and trust: Building public trust requires more openness about how research is conducted, implemented, and how it leads to real-world change for people. It is also vital that the public, as well as policy makers, understand the value that university health partnerships bring to improving outcomes, and driving economic prosperity 
4. Share what doesn’t work: It is vital that university health partnerships evaluate research or initiatives that have been ineffective. We can learn volumes from what doesn’t work, not just what does 
5. A network of partnerships: Beyond universities and healthcare providers, partnerships must include social care, voluntary organisations, commissioners, industry and beyond to drive systemic change 

Dr Catherine French, Director of Strategy at King’s Health Partners and co-author of the NHS Fit for the Future report developed by KHP and the Policy Institute, said: 

Our first event marks the start of an exciting series that focusses on action. As set out in King’s Health Partners’ new Strategy to 2030, university health partnerships have the power to significantly impact patients and communities for the better.  

The room was full of energy and thought-provoking reflections on the role of university health partnerships in reimaging our health and care system.  

We are already working on activating some of the ideas shared in our first event, and I look forward to working with partners, communities, and policy leader across the sector in the coming months.

Amy Clark, Policy Fellow at the Policy Institute and co-author of the NHS Fit for the Future report, said:  

It is great to see the 10 Year Health Plan’s strong commitment to research and innovation across the NHS. The evidence shows that research active healthcare organisations deliver better care, at a level comparable to that of a highly effective (often expensive) new treatment.  

Our first policy roundtable highlighted the exceptional opportunity we have within university health partnerships to lead the way in delivering “research with (and not on)” communities and the people who live, work, and receive and deliver care in our local areas.  

Our first roundtable made clear that to make the most of university health partnerships, we need to focus on the people and communities that interact with, and across, these institutions.

What’s next? 

Our roundtable discussions concluded with a strong message that rings true following publication of the Government’s Plan: this is just the beginning and the work starts now.  

Read the report led by the Policy Institute and KHP