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The UK: your partner for health systems development

Updated 3 March 2016

This promotional material was withdrawn on 21 December 2018

This page has been withdrawn because it’s out of date. For information on investing in the UK, visit great.gov.uk.

This page has been withdrawn because it’s out of date. For information on investing in the UK, visit great.gov.uk.

1. The UK health system: foundation for excellent healthcare

In June 2014, the UK’s was ranked first out of 11 of the world’s best healthcare systems in a report by the Commonwealth Fund (a US-based research organisation), a sign of the respect that the international community has for the 67 year old National Health Service (NHS).

World class healthcare can only be delivered through an integrated system in which every part works to improve outcomes for patients.

In the UK, expertise in areas such as funding, strategy, regulation, training, innovation and delivery comes together to make our National Health Service (NHS) one of the world’s very best healthcare systems.

It has evolved over nearly 70 years and continues to do so. But achieving this level of excellence need not take you decades. All the know-how and experience that makes the NHS so successful is available to you now.

The NHS has a clear 5 year forward view, which is exploring new models of healthcare, such as the provision of more personalised and coordinated care over the long term, rather than single ‘episodes’ of care.

The NHS is responding to changing needs, for example through:

• multi-speciality community providers making fuller use of digital technologies, new skills and roles, and offering greater convenience to patients
• new variants of integrated care combining General Practice, hospital, mental health and community services
• urgent and emergency care networks linking their systems together with seven-day services
• viable smaller hospitals
• specialised care to improve the coordination of care where the relationship between quality and patient numbers is significant
• modern maternity services
• enhanced health in care homes

You can partner with organisations from our rich ecosystem of public and private sector bodies to support every aspect of health system development. By doing so you join healthcare providers worldwide who use UK expertise to deliver sustainable, fair and high quality services.

Your simplest way of accessing this expertise is through Healthcare UK, the UK government’s specialists in international healthcare partnership working.

We can put you in contact with specialists to support:

• whole system change or service reconfiguration
• sustainable improvement in service quality and value for money
• regulation and quality assurance
• fair and universal access to treatment
• workforce planning
• new finance models
• data management to drive service improvement
• the use of behavioural science to promote health and wellbeing
• an evidence-based approach to evaluating and improving services
• the handling of emergencies and major public events
• the translation of research into the next generation of innovative products and services

2. Quality in the NHS

UK expertise can help you improve the quality of every aspect of healthcare delivery.

Quality has become the organising principle of the NHS and defined as excellence in patient safety, clinical effectiveness and patient experience.

These principles have been defined in the NHS Outcomes Framework.

The framework provides a process by which performances is measured, and acts as a catalyst to drive quality improvement. For example, providers of hip replacements shuld focus on providing on a good hip replacement service for patients, as opposed to focusing mainly on the number of operations completed.

Quality in the NHS covers many important areas, including:

• patient safety
• clinical effectiveness
• patient experience

A number of tools have been developed to encourage and incentivise quality and innovations in every area of NHS care, including:

• Commissioning for Quality and Innovation(CQUIN), the goals of which include:
  • the Friends and Family Test
  • assessments for patients at risk of developing a blood clot in hospital
  • dementia screening
• Quality Premium, which rewards the NHS with a quality premium payment if it achieves the required improvements in quality of services.

2.1 Patient safety

The UK’s impeccable patient safety standards are built on the belief that the patient can never be safe enough, leading to a continual and ongoing quest for improvement.

Crucially, the UK is also committed to contributing to the improvement of patient safety standards worldwide, not just within its own borders.

National bodies work together to ensure that staff and organisations are of the best possible quality, and then decide upon the standards that dictate how care must be delivered and how evidence will be used to achieve this. They also measure the outcomes of clinical care, and ensure that everyone who works in the UK healthcare system is fully invested in patient safety.

Together, these organisations deliver the key strands of patient safety:

• producing well-trained, high-quality staff
• demanding high standards of care
• knowing what questions to ask and what answers to give
• ensuring that lessons are learnt for the future

NHS England has and continues to create a range of initiatives that revitalise and shape the NHS’s safety culture.

These initiatives will ensure that there is continual learning around safety improvements, which sit at the heart of the NHS. They also ensure the spread of best practice in successful safety improvement. These initiatives include:

• launching a new National Patient Safety Alerting System (NaPSAS)
• the monthly publishing of data on Never Events
• publishing of key patient safety indicators, by hospital, on My NHS (NHS Choices)
• launching the Patient Safety Collaboratives network
• developing an initiative with the Health Foundation to recruit a network of 5,000 Patient Safety Fellows.

Case study: NHS England’s Productive Operating Theatre project

The Productive Operating Theatre project is part of the Productive Series, a wider initiative to streamline NHS working practices. The main aim is to provide patients with more care time, as well as to improve care quality and reduce costs.

The Productive Series has adapted efficiency techniques used in car manufacturing, and safety techniques used in the aviation industry. The resulting process promotes a continuous improvement culture that drives better use of resources and improved staff morale.

The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, for example, has used the Productive Operating Theatre programme to save £2 million by reducing waiting lists.

The success of the Releasing Time to Care module has led to its adoption overseas, for example by CareOregon in the USA, and the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council in Canada.

2.2 The UK Quality Infrastructure (UKQI)

The UK Quality Infrastructure (UKQI) benefits developing and transition economies. It comprises 4 long established institutions which oversee standardisation, testing and measurement, and certification and accreditation in the UK.

UKQI’s partners are the:

• British Standards Institution
• National Physical Laboratory
• United Kingdom Accreditation Service
• National Measurement and Regulation Office

They provide a comprehensive range of consultancy services to overseas governments wanting to build the capacity of their own national quality infrastructure. This includes:

• capacity building services such as needs analysis, in order to target intervention in the most efficient and effective ways,
• legislative review and advice on how the regulatory framework can be improved,
• consultancy and training on:
  • institutional governance,
  • growing the commercial independence of institutions,
  • improving or building a National Quality Infrastructure
  • embedding its economic benefits
• providing technical assistance covering standards, accreditation, metrology and quality assessment

The excellent international reputation of UKQI’s partner institutions helps bring international recognition to those with whom they work.

2.3 Clinical effectiveness

The UK has global professional services consultancies with extensive healthcare capabilities, and experience in supporting both the NHS and healthcare providers worldwide to develop and reconfigure services.

UK organisations have pioneered evidence-based approaches to evaluating and improving services, and creating clinical standards and guidelines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an integral part of the NHS. Established in 1999, it sets evidence-based best practice standards for health professionals.

Its methods have attracted much interest from organisations around the world seeking more cost-effective health delivery. NICE International was set up to meet this demand by offering advice and support on a not-for-profit, fee-for-service basis.

NICE’s collaborations span more than 60 countries. One example is in Vietnam, where NICE is helping the government to use an evidence-based approach to provide fairer and better services.

Case study: improving rural health services in China: NICE International

A joint programme by the China National Health Development Research Centre and NICE International aims to improve health services for China’s rural population of more than 800 million people.

The project was requested by China’s Minister of Health and set up with support from the UK’s Department for International Development.

NICE International worked with senior practising NHS and Chinese clinicians to pilot best practice clinical pathways in hospitals in the provinces of Shaanxi and Chongqing. Their aim was to find alternatives to existing interventions, such as elective caesarean section and pharmacological management of hypertension.

After a successful pilot, the new approach is now being scaled-up across more than 40 counties in China. NICE International has also supported work in selected counties to adapt clinical pathways for high-burden chronic conditions, such as stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

2.4 Empowering patients and local communities

Healthwatch has been set up as an independent consumer champion for health and social care. Its purpose is to represent the public’s views on healthcare, gathered at both local and national level.

Healthwatch will conduct research in local areas, identifying gaps in services and feeding into local health commissioning plans.

3. Safeguarding patients through regulatory and monitoring services

Healthcare in the UK is provided through a rich ecosystem of public and private-sector bodies operating within a strong regulatory and support framework.

Organisations and professionals are subject to assessment against national standards, to ensure that they continue to deliver high-quality care, and ultimately achieve the best outcomes for patients.

Provider organisations are supported in achieving the best possible services for patients by national support services and information systems, which in turn provide expertise which can be leveraged to develop strategic planning and guidance for the whole system.

Organisations providing NHS services are regulated to ensure that they meet essential standards. The boards of organisations providing NHS care have the primary responsibility to ensure that the care they provide is safe and of high quality. Regulators exist to ensure that providers are fulfilling their obligations to patients and the public.

These regulators include:

Monitor is the regulator for health services in England. It aims to make the sector work better for patients by ensuring that:

• good management of independent NHS Foundation Trusts leads to high-quality, sustainable care
• essential services are maintained if a provider gets into serious difficulties
• the NHS payment system promotes quality and efficiency
• procurement, choice and competition operate in the best interests of patients.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), is the independent regulator for quality in health and social care in England (including that of private providers).

The CQC registers, inspects and rates hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, dental practices and other healthcare services. If services are not meeting fundamental standards of quality and safety, the CQC has powers to issue warnings, restrict services, issue fixed penalty notices, suspend or cancel registration, or prosecute providers.

3.1 Professional regulation

UK expertise can help you improve the quality of every aspect of healthcare delivery through regulation and inspection, including:

• the management and governance of health delivery
• establishing the professional standards expected in your workforce
• the registration of appropriately qualified staff

The UK’s professional regulators are international experts in their fields, and are used for accreditation by clinicians worldwide.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of nearly 260,000 doctors in the UK. The GMC:

• sets the standards that are required of doctors practising in the UK
• decides which doctors are qualified to work in the UK, and oversees their education and training
• ensures that doctors continue to meet these standards throughout their careers through a five-yearly cycle of revalidation, and can take action when a doctor may be putting the safety of patients at risk.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates more than 670,000 nurses and midwives in the UK. Key responsibilities include:

• setting professional standards of education, training, performance and conduct
• ensuring that these standards are upheld
• investigating nurses and midwives who may be failing to meet these standards.

The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates all UK dental professionals including dentists, nurses, technicians and hygienists.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the independent regulator for more than 70,000 pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy premises in the UK.

The General Optical Council (GOC) regulates around 26,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates the work of a wide range of health professionals, including:

• art therapists
• biomedical scientists
• chiropodists and podiatrists
• clinical scientists
• dieticians
• hearing aid dispensers
• occupational therapists
• social workers in England
• speech and language therapists

Professional Standards Authority oversees the statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.

It monitors policy developments in the UK and internationally, and provides advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care. It can also work with you to:

• develop new regulatory systems or benchmark existing ones
• improve the quality of regulation and assess the performance of regulators
• set up auditing processes

Successful projects for overseas clients include performance reviews in New Zealand and Canada, advice on models of assurance in Hong Kong, support for regulatory improvements in Ireland and analysis of the effectiveness of regulation in Australia.

Case study: Professional Standards Authority: improving the cost-effectiveness of health regulation in Australia

The Australian Council of Health Ministers commissioned the UK’s Professional Standards Authority to review the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the health professional regulation system across the country.

The Professional Standards Authority analysed the data remotely and managed the project through weekly web conferences. They produced indicative findings after 2 months that focused the review on particular aspects of the regulatory system. The Authority’s final economic analysis and recommendations were described by Australian reviewers as crucial to the overall outcome and success of their work.

3.2 Specialist safeguarding bodies

The interests of the patient and the public are further safeguarded through the role of four other bodies covering specific areas of healthcare.

With a long history of delivering public health improvement and operating critical services to the highest safety standards, the UK has a large pool of expertise for you to draw on.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines and medical devices in the UK. It also advises developers seeking to manufacture or market products here, and provides a route into the lucrative European market.

MHRA is one of the leading agencies in the European Union for the provision of scientific advice and assessment for European centralised medicines licences. It also offers regulatory advice for regenerative, stratified and personalised medicines and devices through the MHRA Innovation Office.

MHRA publishes the British pharmacopoeia and its centres include the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and National Institute for Biological Standards and Control.

Case study: MHRA: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its counterpart body in India

In 2015, the MHRA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its counterpart body in India. This agreement will increase collaboration between the two countries in the area of medicines and medical devices, with the aim of further improving public safety.

The central understandings of the agreement include promotion of each other’s regulatory frameworks, requirements and processes. Significant outcomes will include the facilitation and exchange of information and opportunities for technical cooperation of mutual benefit, helping to ensure that the regulators are better equipped to protect the health of their respective publics.

The agreement is similar to those already in place between MHRA and other counterpart bodies in China and America.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) provides blood, tissue and diagnostic and therapeutic services throughout the UK. The organisation manages the safe supply of blood, organs, stem cells and tissues and the matching service to patients. It also helps to raise the quality and clinical outcomes of blood and transplant services. Many of NHSBT’s clinicians and scientists are World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Advisors. Numerous international clients use the organisation’s blood products and diagnostic and therapeutic services.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is the UK’s independent regulator of treatment using eggs and sperm and of treatment and research involving human embryos. They set standards and issue licences to fertility clinics.

4. Protecting public health

Public Health England (PHE) protects and improves the UK’s health and wellbeing. As the largest public health organisation in the world, and with both a national remit and an international role, its offer as an expert government agency combines public health, science, research, emergency planning and operational response.

PHE has been at the forefront of developing systems for responding to major public health incidents, including decontamination and emergency healthcare at mass gatherings.

Working alongside partners during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, PHE protected the athletes and millions of visitors to London against every health danger, from infectious diseases and food poisoning, to biological, chemical and radiation hazards.

The legacy from London 2012 includes:

• improved surveillance systems for fast detection of unusual patterns of disease
• faster laboratory testing for infectious illnesses such as influenza and food poisoning
• better understanding of the public health implications of surveillance alerts and microbiology results
• increased resilience and flexibility to escalate the response to emergencies

In addition to mass gatherings medicine and big data initiatives, PHE can provide technical consultancy in topics ranging from setting-up of national public health and primary care systems, through to bio-safety, and preparation for and responses to extreme events such as flooding and outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola.

PHE staff members and teams have won a number of awards for their contribution to the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa including:

• the Ebola Medal
• Research Councils UK Impact Awards (for contribution to society)
• the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Excellence Award (for issues or crisis management)
• Ministry of Defence Chief Information Officer Award (for information and knowledge excellence)

The National Security and Resilience Consortium (NS&RC) is a UK-based group of international experts who work together to provide security and resilience solutions for every type of natural and man-made threat. There is no other organisation in the world which has the expertise it offers.

It protects governments, corporate organisations, major events, transport systems and critical national infrastructure, including healthcare infrastructure. The NS&RC works with these partners to understand the challenges they face, design appropriate solutions, and then plan, coordinate and prioritise responses.

Recent projects include security planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the coordination of safety and security measures for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

5. Leading in healthcare excellence

Leadership development for all healthcare staff has become increasingly important in recent times. High-calibre leadership has a direct, positive impact on staff and patients, and this leadership is needed at all levels and across all health professions.

A number of UK organisations have a remit to drive excellence in healthcare leadership.

The NHS Leadership Academy aims to ensure that all healthcare sectors and all levels of healthcare staff are engaged in leadership development. They offer a range of leadership development programmes that are accessible to all healthcare staff, including the Edward Jenner programme, an online open-access programme aimed at everyone working in healthcare.

The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM) is a membership organisation that was established to promote medical leadership, management and quality improvement for all doctors and dentists. FMLM offers development opportunities to medical staff through:

• an online bank of leadership, management and quality improvement resources
• an annual conference providing education and access to some of the UK’s top leadership experts
• a large national and regional community of medical leaders, supported through networking, peer learning and regional events

FMLM supports and manages the National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow Programme, which places doctors in training apprenticeships with some of the most senior healthcare leaders across England, offering an unparalleled opportunity to develop a range of skills including:

• leadership
• policy development
• project management
• research and analysis
• writing and publishing

The Improvement Academy is part of the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network, and supports health organisations in transforming the quality and safety of the care they provide for patients.

Experts in improvement science, patient safety and health systems support frontline services, patients and the public to achieve better healthcare delivery among clinicians, better performance in hospitals and better outcomes for patients.

The Improvement Academy has extensive experience in supporting major change in health services across all care settings, using quality improvement, behaviour change and human factors approaches. Teams and organisations are mentored on the human aspects of the structural redesign of healthcare systems, to ensure that there is an appropriate focus on maintaining patient safety and improving quality of care.

Case study: post-emergency reconstruction in Sierra Leone

The Improvement Academy is supporting the reconstruction of the local health system in Sierra Leone in the aftermath of the devastating Ebola emergency in that country.

The Academy’s clinical director, Professor John Wright, was part of the UK NHS delegation supporting Sierra Leone in responding to the emergency in 2014, and is now using his Improvement Academy and NHS expertise to support district health teams in strengthening the local health system.

The Academy’s insight and experience in recognising that implementation and improvement need a grass-roots approach, including an understanding of the local context, and an emphasis on good leadership and local ownership, has application internationally.

6. Supporting care: information, evidence and research

The UK develops some of the most sophisticated systems in the world for tracking, managing and delivering patient-centred services. If you are looking to health information systems to improve access, reduce costs and raise quality, the UK has the expertise to make this happen.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) combines expert knowledge and practical application of data use and information technology systems across the entire health sector.

It also advises on the use of different types of data to produce reliable indicators and products to aid decision-making.

The organisation is an established force in the global effort to develop meaningful standards in health information. This knowledge is central to system interoperability, essential if providers are to share information to improve healthcare outcomes. The HSCIC recently secured international status for the UK as an expert centre for global health classifications.

The Health Research Authority (HRA) was established in December 2011 to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health research, and to streamline the regulation of research.

Many members of the public want the opportunity to participate in research: the HRA ensures that health research involving the public is ethically reviewed and approved, that people are provided with the information they need to help them decide whether they wish to take part, and that their opportunity to do so is maximised by simplifying the processes by which high-quality research is assessed. In doing this, the HRA helps to build both public confidence and participation in health research, and so improve the nation’s health.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds leading-edge scientific research, driving faster translation of scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the public, and creating the best possible conditions for inward investment in the Life Sciences sector. It works in partnership with many bodies including other Government funders, academic organisations, charities and businesses.

The NIHR manages its health research activities through 4 main work strands:

• infrastructure: providing the facilities and people for a thriving research environment
• faculty: supporting the individuals carrying out and participating in research
• research: commissioning and funding
• systems: creating unified, streamlined and simple systems for managing research and its outputs

Case study: Nottingham Institute of Mental Health in China

The Centre for Health and Justice in the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham has been successful in a bid to the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Zheziang provincial government and the Xuhui Health District administration in Shanghai.

The bid will fund the development of a pilot service adapting the Centre’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme into a ‘therapeutic toolbox’ for use in China.

Since China’s new Mental Health Act in 2013 the orientation of mental health service delivery in the country has had a community focus, rather than being based on the previous hospital in-patient and outpatient delivery model.

There is a major shortfall in staff available to make this change. This project will test the effectiveness of the IAPT approach, using community workers and nurses as the service is delivered to trial populations.

If successful, there is the option to develop further ‘toolboxes’ covering other types of training, and interventions aimed at tackling the shortage of trained psychiatrists and other critical health professionals.

7. Turning research into clinical breakthroughs

The UK has a thriving healthcare innovation environment where universities, the NHS, industry and research bodies collaborate to translate scientific research into new clinical breakthroughs. You can tap into this expertise to reap the benefits of the next generation of technology.

A number of organisations support an innovation culture:

7.1 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs)

AHSNs operate across England to accelerate the impact of innovation across all areas of healthcare provision. They harness local resources to encourage collaboration between universities, industry and the NHS to identify, develop and commercialise innovations with national and international potential.

7.2 Academic Health Science Centres in England (AHSCs)

AHSCs draw on their world-class research and health education to improve patient care and healthcare delivery

7.3 Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)

The KTN works to speed-up innovation and find markets for new ideas.

7.4 Genomics England

Genomics England and genomics providers are working together to create a lasting legacy for patients through the sequencing of 100,000 human genomes.

This will result in the world’s largest dataset of anonymised whole-genome sequences matched with clinical data. By unlocking the power of DNA data, the project promises to push the boundaries of what is currently possible, and propel the UK to world-leading status in genomic medicine.

The understanding of each individual person’s genetic code is revolutionising medicine. The ability to sequence the genetic code of a large sample of the population is revealing how small variations in our DNA can change our vulnerability to different diseases – and thus how medicine can be personalised for better prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The UK is a world leader in this field, and is already at an advanced stage of a systematic long-term plan for integrating genomic and personalised medicine into the day-to-day delivery of healthcare.

Overseas governments and healthcare providers can partner with UK providers for all of the stages involved in developing a genomics and personalised medicine programme. This could take the form of a consortium of UK providers with the combined expertise to build a country’s capacity and capability to set up an entire programme.

Alternatively, you may want just to access UK expertise for a specific element of your programme. Below are examples of the broad package of support that is available to you:

• capacity and capability building:
  • the UK has the expertise to meet any requirement for infrastructure
• ongoing support
  • UK organisations can become long-term partners to support the continuous improvement of genomic and personalised medicine services
• education and training
  • programmes developed by UK universities, for undergraduates, postgraduate scientists and doctors, are quality-controlled and meet standards determined by Health Education England
• research and development
  • clinical trial units link to UK research centres, giving local patients access to the latest international clinical trials. The patients will benefit and the partner country will develop its capability in new areas of medical research
• access to commercial organisations
  • we can provide links with pharmaceutical companies, including those carrying out genomic studies as part of their programme of new drug development, and with UK medical technology companies that are developing products for testing, patient monitoring or personalised treatment

You can also access expertise in services that support the development of critical infrastructure, including that of specialist legal firms, management consultancies, companies with expertise in facility development, and investors

7.5 International links with UK academic excellence and expertise

LSE Health is the largest research centre within the London School of Economics and Political Science. Its mission is to advance, transmit and sustain knowledge and understanding through its research, teaching and scholarship at the highest international standards, for the benefit of the international and national health policy community.

In 2009 LSE Health was honoured with the biennial Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

Bringing together a core team of researchers and academics, it draws upon the multidisciplinary expertise of 60 staff members and 50 associates and PhD students. LSE Health provides graduate teaching, is developing international educational collaborations with universities around the world, and advises numerous countries and international organisations on health systems reform, hospital restructuring and pharmaceutical policy.

These include the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Finland, France, Russia, Sweden, the United States, Greece and Mexico, and organisations such as the European Commission, the European Parliament, the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.

Case study: pharmaceutical reform in China: LSE Health

LSE Health is advising the Development Research Centre of the State Council of China on strategies for pharmaceutical reform. Pharmaceuticals account for over 40% of total health expenditure in China, but suffer from disjointed and unsustainable production, pricing and distribution systems.

LSE Health’s recommendations will target improvement in key areas: regulation, pricing and reimbursement systems, research and development capacity and market balance. The aim is to bring about a better alignment between the incentives of providers, the pharmaceutical industry and patients.

LSE Health’s work is poised to strengthen the country’s health system and pharmaceutical market at all levels.

Case study: strategic partnership for translational cancer medicine: King’s College, London

King’s College London, King’s Health Partners Cancer Centre and Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai have a strategic partnership to pursue joint research activity, and staff and student exchange opportunities.

The focus of the partnership includes cancers of the breast, lung, head and neck, and takes in clinical trials, cancer policy, economics, epidemiology and public health programmes.

There is also a new joint research and training programme to link expertise in functional genomics and increase understanding of the biological mechanisms of cancer.

Case study: Imperial expands links with Chinese innovators

Imperial College London’s President recently led a delegation to China to promote education, research and innovation ties.

Imperial is the UK’s number-one academic research partner with China: its Chinese collaborators include Huawei, CSR, Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University. These partnerships include cutting-edge research in fields such as nanotechnology, bioengineering, computing, data science, advanced materials, offshore energy, environmental engineering and public health.

China’s President Xi Jinping visited Imperial in October 2015. As he visited, Imperial announced a series of new UK-China education and research collaborations. The China UCF Group announced that it will donate £3 million to support research at Imperial’s Data Science Institute and Hamlyn Centre for Medical Robotic, both of which were visited by President Xi.

Imperial also revealed plans for a partnership with Zhejiang University, for a new centre for transnational entrepreneurship to be based in London.

8. Private-sector partnerships to transform health systems overseas

Health system reform in Dubai: PA Consulting

The Executive Council of Dubai appointed UK professional services provider PA Consulting to create the blueprint for two key new authorities that form part of the country’s health and social reform programme.

PA mobilised wide-ranging expertise for the task, including health, organisational change, strategy, international development and delivery. Key steps in the blueprinting process included:

• developing a summary strategy and operational scope for the new authorities
• setting out the implementation processes, organisational design and detailed implementation plans
• supporting human resource, finance, legal and information technology working parties in the design of future support service capabilities
• defining the requirements for support during the transition period

The ability of PA to gain the buy-in of Dubai’s Department of Health and Medical Services was vital to the success of the project. PA went on to draw up the detailed strategies and implementation plans agreed during the blueprinting process.

Improvement of primary care in Tamil Nadu: EY Consulting

EY was tasked with a range of planning and preparation work for a large primary care improvement programme in Tamil Nadu, India. The state government commissioned this work following a study by the UK government’s Department for International Development and Healthcare UK on how British health system expertise could support this transformation.

EY’s input to the vital early stage development work included:

• mapping out the actions needed to develop the new system
• helping the state government build relationships with suitable UK suppliers
• facilitating workshops for senior health officials to plan the pilot phase for the improved system

Reimbursement negotiation for Libya: PwC

During the revolution in Libya, the Transitional National Council (then in opposition to the ruling regime) announced it would pay for the medical treatment of Libyan citizens outside of their home country. This was because a large number of patients had crossed borders into Tunisia and Egypt for treatment after the depletion of medical facilities in Libya as a result of the war.

When hospitals in these countries were overwhelmed, other countries stepped in with offers of treatment. To date, Libyan patients have been treated in 45 different countries at a cost of US$3 billion.

The Libyan Ministry of Health (MoH) asked PwC to investigate whether they were being overcharged for this medical treatment, and for PwC to help them negotiate discounts prior to settlement.

PwC had the capacity to set up teams quickly in Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Germany with a mix of local market knowledge and experienced managers from the Middle East. PwC’s assessment used hospital data where it was available, and alternative costing models where not.

PwC’s reviews are enabling the MoH to settle debts based on robust calculations, and save significant sums in the process.

Independent hospital and clinic accreditation: the QHA Group

The QHA Group is a British-based healthcare company with a vision to improve quality and reducing risk throughout the healthcare system. Run by clinicians and experts working in the NHS and private practice, QHA’s wide-ranging expertise includes independent hospital and clinic accreditation.

QHA Trent’s accreditation services work through partnership with hospitals and clinics worldwide to identify risk and maximise safety for patients, staff, visitors and the general public. It uses standards based largely upon NHS clinical governance, but tailored to clients’ needs. These standards are applied by experienced volunteer surveyors from medical, nursing, allied healthcare professional and managerial backgrounds.

QHA Trent’s portfolio includes work with hospitals and clinics in Hong Kong, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Malta and Southeast Asia.

9. Healthcare UK

The UK is internationally renowned for delivering excellent healthcare. Our National Health Service (NHS) is the world’s largest integrated health system. It has provided high-quality services for nearly 70 years, supported by academia and innovative commercial healthcare companies. This partnership creates breadth and depth of expertise that no other country can match.

Healthcare UK is your route to access this expertise. Whatever type of health facility, service or training programme you are planning, we can bring together the right UK organisations to meet your needs.

Our position in government gives us an excellent platform to support and promote international collaborations, working with Department for International Trade’s (DIT) international network of offices in 107 markets around the world.

As a joint initiative between the UK government’s Department of Health, the NHS and DIT, we connect UK expertise to business opportunities, drawing on our broad network across the NHS, the private sector and academia.

This brochure is one of a set of 7 that explains the benefits you gain by partnering with UK healthcare organisations. The full set comprises:

• education and training
• healthcare infrastructure services
• digital health
• clinical services
• health systems development
• genomics and personalised medicine
• improving the quality and safety of patient care

To find out how you can draw on UK expertise to extend, improve and transform healthcare provision in your country, email Healthcare UK

10. Disclaimer

Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate, neither DIT nor the Department of Health accept liability for any errors, omissions or misleading statements, and no warranty is given or responsibility accepted as to the standing of any individual, firm, company or other organisation mentioned.

© Crown copyright 2016

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Published January 2016 by UK Trade & Investment

This was published originally by UK Trade and Investment which has since moved to the Department for International Trade (DIT).

UKTI/2016/06