Two reports shine a light on the NHS’s future – and show pharma, med tech and device companies the pathways to collaboration

Understanding the best way to access opportunities within the NHS market has always been a challenge for pharma, med tech, and device companies. Today, with stretched resources, mounting workloads, and an urgent need for innovative solutions, the pressure to align with NHS priorities has never been greater.

Two recent reports, Lord Darzi’s independent review and the Institute of Public Policy Research’s (IPPR) response, offer a rare moment of clarity amidst the complexity. They don’t just diagnose the issues – they map out tangible pathways for collaboration. For market access teams, these insights could be the key to unlocking new opportunities.

This is why I’ve made these reports the focus of two new modules in my 2025 online learning programme, helping teams like yours turn insight into action and opportunity.

The IPPR report was published three days after Lord Darzi published his report and provided some of the solutions to the problems he had raised. Lord Darzi actually co-chaired the IPPR group that put the response together, so it’s really him saying: “I told you what the problems are – here are the solutions.”

The IPPR report highlights the fact health is intrinsically linked to economic growth and that there are too many people not working because they’re off sick, a problem that urgently needs solving.

The central point is essentially that there’s no point in just fixing healthcare; you have to fix the wider social determinants causing people to be ill.

The report offers many ideas on how that can be done, with a big focus on achieving parity between physical health and mental health. There are some wonderful opportunities here for pharma, med tech, and device companies to get involved.

Grasping technological efficiencies is crucial for the NHS

For med tech and device companies, the NHS’s priorities offer a wealth of opportunities – if you know where to look. Both Lord Darzi’s and the IPPR reports emphasise prevention and chronic disease management, presenting a clear path for industry collaboration.

Here’s the current reality:

• For people with long-term conditions, the NHS urgently needs innovations in diagnostics, AI, and remote monitoring.

• Chronic disease management is shifting towards keeping patients at home, monitoring them, and responding early to prevent deterioration.

• Home care is the future – and there’s a growing demand for advances in telehealth, patient alarms, and digital solutions that empower self-management.

What does this mean for you?

Med tech: Develop tools that support remote monitoring, such as wearable devices or AI-driven platforms. These solutions should provide clinicians with actionable data to intervene early and reduce hospital admissions.

• Devices: Invest in technologies that enable safe, effective home care – from telehealth platforms to portable devices like smart inhalers and patient alarms. Simplicity and user-friendly design will be critical for adoption.

• Pharma: Focus on preventative therapies and solutions for early-stage conditions. By addressing chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and respiratory illnesses, you align with NHS priorities and reduce long-term costs.

But the big message that leaps out of the IPPR report is – there is no point working in your own little silo. All these things have to be properly integrated, and we have to be able to share data across different systems. Not just healthcare but public health and social care – everything has to be integrated.

The budget needs to be spent in the right areas to be effective

Lord Darzi’s report prioritises the prevention agenda. His real message is we’ve got to stop investing in the wrong places – there’s too much money going into hospitals and not enough money going into primary care.

He makes reference to our ageing population driving higher demand because many older people have chronic diseases, some of them quite complex. That then drives into complex surgery and palliative or end-of-life care.

There’s a finite budget, so the challenge Lord Darzi identified is delivering that high-quality care but without the corresponding increase in resources due to the 14 years of government austerity.

That aligns with the fact we’re not able to keep pace with innovation. We have some genuine innovations in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical devices, but the NHS isn’t able to adapt to them quickly enough because it doesn’t have the funding – or, as I highlight in my online learning course, that funding is potentially being spent in the wrong places.

And because of the lack of funding and resources, plus the sheer workload volume, people are burning out. They’re retiring early, they’re leaving in their droves, and they can’t train enough people to replace the leavers.

Darzi also said he wants to see a much more data-driven NHS. He advises really crunching the numbers so services aren’t created for those that are known to the system – he wants the NHS to find, diagnose and treat those that are not known before they have a non-elective hospital admission.

Patient-centric care, as far as Lord Darzi is concerned, is all about adopting modern medical technologies much more rapidly. We have AI and precision medicine, but we’re not adopting them, and the NHS simply cannot afford to lag behind.

Lastly, Lord Darzi also stresses the importance of moving from reactive care – just reacting when people turn up sick – to being proactive. We’ve got to get on the front foot, especially in chronic diseases – he named diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, respiratory conditions and cancer – because that reduces long-term costs.

Labour government will invest more – but the problems won’t go away overnight

Darzi criticised the fact the Conservatives hadn’t spent enough, and it looks like Labour is trying to address that now. However, the problems caused by 14 years of underinvestment in the NHS are not going to be solved overnight.

You could argue that it was obvious a year before the election that Labour was going to win, and therefore, both these reports could have been commissioned months earlier and the new government could have hit the ground running.

But the important thing is that Lord Darzi has recognised a massive underinvestment in primary care and that’s where the focus needs to be.

The really admirable part of both these reports is their clarity. Darzi laid out the problems, and the IPPR came up with a list of solutions – that’s exactly what the NHS needed. I am positive about the future and believe that clarity is a golden ticket for pharma, med tech, and device companies because it lays out exactly what their priorities are and where they can get involved.

These are great reports with lots of sane and sensible steps to follow and that’s why I’ve expanded my online learning package to devote two modules specifically to them.

Don’t just take my word for it

This programme has already helped teams land projects that seemed out of reach. The expanded content is designed to do even more, giving you everything you need to make 2025 a breakthrough year.

Want to take your NHS strategy to the next level?

Sign up today and be part of the next wave of success stories. Don’t wait – spaces on my 2025 programme (which includes 1-2-1 coaching with me, plus access to my contacts) are limited, and the new modules are now live.

Schedule a call today and start immediately building better partnerships with the NHS.