New improvements to the Accelerated Access Collaborative
(AAC)
will put the most promising medicines, diagnostic tools and
digital services through the clinical development and
regulatory approval process faster.
The AAC was set
up in 2018 to speed up the time it takes for
patients to benefit from ground-breaking products for
conditions such as cancer, dementia and diabetes.
It will now become the new umbrella organisation for UK
health innovation. It will act as the ‘front door’ for
innovators looking to get their products funded by the NHS
and will provide support to overcome barriers that can
prevent the best medical innovations from reaching
patients.
To do this, a new unit in NHS England and NHS Improvement
will be established, led by Dr Sam Roberts as chief
executive.
The new AAC will:
- implement a system to identify the best new innovations
and make sure the NHS is ready to make use of them
- set up a single point of call for innovators working
inside or outside the NHS, so they can understand the
system and where to go for support
- signal the needs of clinicians and patients, so
innovators know which problems they need to solve
- establish a globally leading testing infrastructure, so
innovators can generate the evidence they need to get their
products into the NHS
- oversee a health innovation funding strategy that
ensures public money is focused on the areas of greatest
impact for the NHS and patients
- support the NHS to more quickly adopt clinically and
cost-effective innovations, to ensure patients get access
to the best new treatments and technologies faster than
ever before
The AAC has
already selected and supported 12 ‘rapid uptake
products’ to increase their use within the NHS.
This includes a blood test for pre-eclampsia, which can
diagnose the condition earlier in pregnancy and
significantly reduce life-threatening complications.
Together the products have the potential to improve the
lives of around 500,000 patients and save the NHS up to £30
million.
Health Minister said:
I want the NHS to be at the forefront of cutting-edge
treatments and medical innovations – but often it can
take too long for products to get from the bench to the
bedside.
The Accelerated Access Collaborative will speed up this
process so patients and the NHS can be the first in the
world to benefit from the most transformative
technologies and treatments as part of our Long Term
Plan.
Lord David Prior, chair of NHS England, said:
Our ambition is very clear: the NHS will be the most
innovative health care system in the world with much
easier access and much quicker uptake of new and
innovative products. This applies to therapeutics,
diagnostics, digital devices and our whole supply chain.
It is a top priority for the NHS.
