South West scaling respiratory innovation through new national collaboration
Highlights
- Health Innovation South West is part of an ambitious new national coalition to transform the lives of thousands with respiratory disease.
- The Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) was launched by the Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed on 17 March.
- The £10million partnership brings together health innovation networks alongside NHS systems, leading industry partners, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS England to make better use of innovative treatments and technology.
- Health Innovation South West will act as delivery and system engagement partner for the South West.
Health Innovation South West is part of an ambitious new national coalition launched today by Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed which will speed up diagnosis, improve treatment, and transform the lives of thousands of people affected by asthma and lung disease.
The Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP) brings together health innovation networks alongside NHS systems, leading industry partners, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS England and others to address unmet need and make better use of innovative treatments and technology.
The Minister said:
Too many people with asthma and lung disease end up rushed to hospital when, with the right care and support, that admission could have been avoided entirely. For far too long these patients have been let down because of a broken system. This government is bringing together the NHS, industry and local health innovation networks to make sure patients get the treatment they need, closer to home, before their condition reaches crisis point.
This £10 million partnership is a concrete example of what our reform agenda looks like in practice – shifting care out of hospitals and into communities, using data to reach patients who have been missed, and working hand-in-hand with industry to get the best treatments to the people who need them most.”
In the South West, Health Innovation South West will work as the local delivery and system engagement partner for RTP, working with and supporting Integrated Care Boards in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to implement new approaches to improve patient outcomes and strengthen pathways.
Our role will focus on convening system partners, supporting funded sites, aligning activity with local respiratory and elective recovery priorities, and contributing to national learning.
Our work will build on the Pathway Transformation Fund, a national programme to accelerate innovation and improvement in respiratory care. Through the PTF, Health Innovation South West has been supporting health and care partners in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to help diagnose asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) earlier in patients across the county this winter.
Francesca Reville, Programme Manager at Health Innovation South West, said:
For Health Innovation South West, the Respiratory Transformation Partnership is an opportunity to work closely with our local Integrated Care Boards, regional respiratory networks and provider organisations to redesign pathways and adopt innovation with the potential to transform the lives of people in our rural and coastal areas – where there is higher-than-national-average prevalence of asthma and COPD, and limited access to respiratory specialists and diagnostic testing.”
Alongside local delivery, the programme is supported by a nationally coordinated evaluation to capture learning, build the evidence base, and inform future investment in respiratory transformation.
Professor Ben Bridgewater, Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network, said:
Through the implementation of this innovative partnership working in local communities across the country patient outcomes will be improved, and national productivity gains can be made. This programme will create a practical blueprint of how innovation and collaboration can deliver better outcomes for patients while reducing pressure on hospitals and driving economic growth.”
Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (HIOTV) is leading the programme on behalf of the Health Innovation Network. HIOTV Chief Executive Professor Gary Ford said:
Respiratory disease places an enormous burden on patients, families and the NHS, yet we know that earlier diagnosis and better long-term management can make a transformative difference.
The Respiratory Transformation Partnership brings together the NHS, industry, innovators and patient groups to tackle these challenges collectively, using data, diagnostics and new technologies to redesign how care is delivered. By working across partners and systems we can support earlier identification of disease, improve access to effective treatments and help people manage their conditions closer to home.
Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley is proud to be leading the Respiratory Transformation Partnership on behalf of the Health Innovation Network.”
The RTP aligns with the government’s three strategic shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from crisis treatment to proactive prevention through earlier and more accurate diagnosis alongside better long-term management.
