We are living in a time of unprecedented healthcare innovation, where breakthrough science has the potential to transform treatment options for some of the toughest health conditions faced by patients worldwide. But in the UK, many question whether our healthcare system is set up to adapt quickly enough, so that patients can reap the full benefit of this clinical progress.
“I am continually inspired by the possibilities that science provides to shape the future trajectory of healthcare in the UK, but truly transformational progress will only be achieved through stronger collaboration to ensure our access environment and patient pathways keep pace with scientific advancements,” says Roz Bekker, managing director UK and Ireland, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.
The new government recognises the success that arises from partnership between government, the pharmaceutical industry and academia. More recently, a £400m investment programme, backed by the life sciences sector, was launched with an aim to stimulate clinical trial activity and fast-track new treatments to NHS patients. Whilst this is a positive step, to deliver on their pledge to build an NHS ‘fit for the future’, Labour’s public-private model must be applied to day-to-day healthcare outside of health research.
The positive news is that the new government has had the good fortune to inherit the 2022 Health and Care Act, a foundation for partnership-based care. As NHS England put it: “When local partners - the NHS, councils, the voluntary sector and others - work together, they can create better services based on local need.” The act granted Integrated Care Services (ICSs) - partnerships between organisations who have responsibility for health and care services in a geographical area - legal powers to serve populations in England of between 500,000 to three million people. The NHS Confederation, which speaks for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has said that cross-sector partnerships are ‘essential’ to help the NHS overcome its many challenges.
In the UK, many question whether our healthcare system is set up to adapt quickly enough
These include record waiting lists, financial constraints, limited access to new medicines, workforce pressures and an ageing population. In combination with the ever-increasing number of patients expected to develop multiple conditions requiring integrated care, a critical need for change is upon us.
“As we all know, age increases the risk of long term and major illness. From cardiovascular and metabolic diseases like heart failure and type 2 diabetes, to mental health and neurological conditions like anxiety, depression and dementia. All are set to increase in prevalence by 2040,”1 says Bekker. “The incidence of cancer is also estimated to rise from three million people living with the condition today to 5.3 million by 2040.”2
And worryingly, right now, innovative medicines that UK patients will increasingly rely on are simply not available at the same rate as other European countries. Of all recently approved new medicines by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), just 56% are available in England and 54% in Scotland, compared to 88% in Germany and 77% in Italy.3
“This gap in availability of medicines highlights the urgent need for regulatory reform and enhanced partnerships between government and industry to ensure UK patients are not left behind. While there is no single reason for access limitations in the complicated sphere of healthcare, with a new government in place, we have an unparalleled opportunity to drive holistic improvements and ensure the NHS is fit to lead the future of healthcare,” says Bekker.
Partnering for patients
Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which celebrated its UK centenary this year, already has a strong tradition of working in partnership with patients, charities, clinical researchers and the NHS.
Its UK Services and Solutions Centre of Excellence was created to establish dedicated, local partnerships with the NHS and healthcare professionals, to support fragmented services and help meet the varying health needs of patients across the country.
“This can involve working hand in hand with NHS trusts and supporting them to look at the bigger picture concerning a model of care,” explains Bekker. “Sometimes having that additional, external perspective can identify where current service challenges exist.”
One of these projects is currently being progressed for patients receiving oncology and haematology treatment within the catchment of Hull University Teaching Hospital’s NHS Trust. Present challenges mean that service delivery is spread across the region, with some patients travelling long distances for treatment.
We have an unparalleled opportunity to ensure the NHS is fit to lead the future of healthcare
“The knock-on effect can be delayed or missed appointments, which leads to reduced efficiency and capacity across the system,” notes Bekker. “Based on extensive local insight, our teams are working to deliver an interactive mapping tool which will support healthcare providers to bring services in closer alignment with local patient needs and priorities. Through such initiatives, our aim is to reduce missed appointments and improve patient outcomes, supporting more efficient care pathways.”
J&J has also designed services which expand care outside of traditional settings, seeking to create individualised treatment experiences for patients.
“We know all too well the challenges facing patients with a cancer diagnosis who may have limited options regarding where and how they receive their treatment. Focusing on prostate cancer, after initiating treatment with their doctor, patients can opt for home delivery of their medication. They can also receive additional support from a telephone nursing service for the first six months of treatment. This enhances regular contact with patients, which can ultimately improve their outcomes.”
These examples of patient-focused, 360 degree healthcare remind Bekker of her time as a young doctor in rural South Africa, where resources were limited, and patients sometimes travelled for hours to see a healthcare professional.
“When working within these communities in South Africa, I truly learned the importance of patient-centric care - appreciating a person’s presentation and illness within the context of other challenges they faced. This is an approach we champion in the UK through ICSs and pharmaceutical partnerships.”
Bekker is confident that ICSs have the potential to reinforce deeper levels of strategic partnership with the pharmaceutical industry. She remarks: “With the knowledge of what our future health needs will be, we must employ forward-thinking strategies to ensure healthcare professionals have every tool available to support patients with the best possible treatment and care.”
Bekker adds: “We call on healthcare leaders and policymakers to embed these long-term partnerships and reforms, so we can build a healthcare system that meets the needs of every patient. Only through working together can we champion equitable improvements in population health, best in class healthcare provision and prosperity for the whole of the UK.”
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1.The Health Foundation (2024). Available at: https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/upload/publications/2024/Health%20inequalities%20in%202040.pdf. Accessed September 2024.
2. Macmillan Cancer Support (2024). Available at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research/cancer-statistics-fact-sheet#references. Accessed September 2024.
3.EFPIA WAIT Indicator (2024). Available at: https://www.efpia.eu/media/vtapbere/efpia-patient-wait-indicator-2024.pdf. Accessed September 2024.
CP-476172 | September 2024
