Parliamentary Group seeks bioscience health benefits
“The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is excited to be involved in this important group, which we believe will help ensure that the UK’s established scientific capabilities are translated into a world-leading healthcare revolution and put patients at the heart of the UK healthcare system.”
Julia Wilson Associate Director of External Relations at the Sanger Institute
The planned APG for Bioscience and Technology will identify potentially transformative developments and their implications for healthcare, addressing critical barriers to their use; this will include overview of the science and expert perspectives, alongside consideration of economic, logistical, ethical, legal and social factors and other policy issues.
Membership of the group is open to all members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The APG will be chaired by Lord Norman Warner, with the secretariat provided by the independent, non-partisan health policy think-tank The PHG Foundation. The other partner organisations are the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and the Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation (CASMI).
“The PHG Foundation firmly believes that biomedical and related technologies can transform healthcare and deliver better health. We are very proud to become a formal partner in the planned group on Bioscience and Technology in Healthcare and we look forward to contributing to this important and exciting area of medicine.”
Dr Hilary Burton Director of the PHG Foundation
While the importance of prompt delivery of health innovations for patients is increasingly recognised, the group believes that maximising their potential to improve health is a wide-ranging responsibility.
“BMJ has been at the forefront of innovative healthcare thinking and practice since 1840, and is committed to promoting innovation in healthcare to help improve outcomes for patients throughout the world. We expect an exciting programme of activities as the new group looks to the acceleration of innovation into UK healthcare for the benefit of patients and populations.”
Matthew Harker Director of Evidence and Analytics at the BMJ
More information
About the new prospective cross-party group
The proposed Secretariat has registered an interest to run an APG (in the subject area of Bioscience and Technology in Healthcare) with the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Formal registration will follow after the General Election in May, once quorum membership has been reached.
Initial meetings and activities will be announced following registration and official launch of the group.
Web
Selected websites
The PHG Foundation
The PHG Foundation is an independent, non-profit health policy think-tank based in Cambridge. Our mission is making science work for health – promoting the fair and effective translation of the best 21st century scientific innovations into improved medical and public health policy and practice.
The British Medical Journal
The British Medical Journal is a global brand with a worldwide audience that helps medical organisations and clinicians tackle today’s most critical healthcare challenges. Our vision is to create a healthier world.
The Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation
The Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation is a partnership between Oxford University and UCL, created to develop new models for medical innovation. The centre aims to address the issues that have led to current failures in the translation of basic bioscience into affordable and widely adopted new treatments.
