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Executive Director of Birmingham Health Partners, Professor Neil Hanley, and ABHI Chief Executive, Peter Ellingworth, sign the MoU agreement

New partnership with ABHI places Birmingham at the forefront of healthtech innovation

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Health inequalities, Maternal health, Mental health.

A new strategic partnership with the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) will see Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) work collaboratively to unlock innovation, accelerate research translation, and improve health outcomes across one of the UK’s most diverse regions.

ABHI is the UK’s leading industry association for health technology (HealthTech), supporting its members – including both multinationals and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) – to save and enhance lives through developing products from syringes and wound dressings to surgical robots, diagnostics and digitally enhanced technologies.

This new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ABHI and BHP reflects a shared ambition to better connect the HealthTech industry with the academic and clinical excellence embedded across Birmingham and the wider region. The partnership will provide a more coordinated route for HealthTech companies to access world-leading expertise, infrastructure and patient insight, enabling technologies to be developed and evaluated with relevance to real-world settings.

Members of ABHI and BHP meet in Birmingham to formalise the MoU agreement

The agreement signposts BHP as the “front door” to the region – a clear entry point for HealthTech and life sciences companies looking to collaborate across the city’s extensive ecosystem which boasts globally ranked academic institutions and attracts significant health and life sciences research funding.

Importantly, Birmingham’s population provides a powerful testbed for innovation. As one of the youngest and most ethnically diverse cities in Europe, with a stable and rooted population, it offers the opportunity to generate insights and outcomes that are both locally relevant and globally applicable – presenting a unique opportunity to develop and scale interventions that reduce health inequalities and improve access for underserved groups.

Women’s health and mental health have been highlighted as critical areas of focus, with both ABHI and BHP committed to closing gender health gaps through innovative approaches and technology-enabled, whole-person models of care – as well as helping to reimagine mental health care, deliver earlier interventions, and support more equitable outcomes.

The partnership will measure success against three overarching priorities:

  • Demonstrating measurable improvements in clinical outcomes.
  • Ensuring that technologies are scalable and relevant to population health, not just individual conditions.
  • Addressing inequalities in access and experience of care, in support of a fairer, more resilient health system.

This collaboration builds on recent findings from the Health Innovation Network’s Size of the Prize analysis, which highlights the £278 billion economic potential that healthcare innovations could unlock if adopted at scale. It reflects ABHI’s strategic commitment to nurturing regional partnerships that not only drive economic growth, but also deliver tangible improvements in people’s lives.

Main image caption – Executive Director of Birmingham Health Partners, Professor Neil Hanley, and ABHI Chief Executive, Peter Ellingworth, sign the MoU agreement

New evaluation sheds light on virtual wards in Birmingham and Solihull

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners.

A new study by the Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) Evaluation Service has provided timely insights into the early implementation of virtual wards (VWs) across Birmingham and Solihull, identifying critical enablers – as well as barriers – to their success.

Commissioned by University Hospitals Birmingham and led by researchers at the University of Birmingham’s Department of Applied Health Sciences, the evaluation explored virtual wards introduced under the NHS England VW programme – focusing on services supporting patients with frailty, respiratory conditions, recent surgery, and musculoskeletal issues, with a detailed analysis of the respiratory VW designed for early supported discharge of COPD patients.

The study comprised four distinct workstreams: qualitative research to understand the factors influencing VW design and development; surveys and interviews to recognise the experiences and perspectives of staff; evaluation of patient outcomes; and a health economics analysis to assess the cost-effectiveness of the respiratory VW vs usual care.

Key findings highlight the importance of consistent referral pathways, the urgent need for interoperable IT systems, and the value of digital tools tailored to varying levels of patient literacy and connectivity. The report also stressed the need for more staff training, clearer communication with patients and carers, and greater involvement of frontline staff and patients in shaping future services.

While the health economic analysis showed promise, it also exposed significant data gaps – including length of stay and readmission rates – that need to be addressed to fully assess the cost-effectiveness of virtual wards.

Dr Ian Litchfield, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, said:
“Virtual wards offer an exciting opportunity to deliver care more flexibly and closer to patients’ homes. But for them to work at scale, we need to move beyond enthusiasm and address the real-world challenges around infrastructure, communication, and equity. This evaluation is a first step towards designing services that truly meet the needs of patients and staff alike.”

The findings will inform future development of virtual ward models, not only in the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System but across the wider NHS landscape.

The report can be downloaded from https://www.birminghamhealthpartners.co.uk/for-researchers/evaluation-service/

It also appears in the Journal of Medical Internet Research – https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e75406

ENDS

The Birmingham Health Partners Evaluation Service was established in 2022 to provide time-sensitive, formative evidence on innovations in healthcare and capacity building. It carries out rapid and effective service evaluations, often running in parallel with service implementation; helps spread learning to other sites; and helps build local capacity for in-house evaluations.

BHP announces exciting new role for its outgoing Chair

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners.

Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) has announced its Chair, Jonathan Pearson, will be stepping down at the end of his two-year term in September 2025, following his appointment as Chair of BHP member Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM).

A highly experienced health business leader, Jonathan has chaired BHP for the past 18 months and has overseen significant progress and growth within the partnership – most notably, a new five-year strategy and the addition of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as its ninth member.

Professor Lorraine Harper, Managing Director of BHP said: “We are incredibly grateful to Jonathan for his strategic leadership of BHP during a period of substantial change for our organisation, and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role as Chair of our member HIWM.”

Professor Neil Hanley, Executive Director of BHP and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine and Health at the University of Birmingham, said: “I would also like to thank Jonathan for his hard work, enthusiasm and friendship over the last couple of years. Jonathan’s appointment to HIWM is a great opportunity to further strengthen relationships and partnerships across the West Midlands, and we are delighted that he will continue to contribute to Birmingham’s health and life sciences in his new role. He has a passion for healthcare innovation that sits at the heart of the Government’s ambitions for the NHS. We will soon begin our search for Jonathan’s successor, a process which will be led by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh.”

Jonathan commented: “I would like to thank the BHP Board, Neil, Lorraine and all the BHP team for their support and their excellent work in leading and reshaping the partnership over the last two years.  I wish BHP ongoing success and I look forward to continuing to work with the partnership in my new role.”

HIWM is one of 15 Health Innovation networks across England, working in partnership with NHS trusts, SMEs, care homes and universities to implement new healthcare and life sciences innovations at scale and pace. By enabling the healthcare system to take advantage of innovations that can help to save time, money and lives, HIWM is working to bring the West Midlands the future of health and social care, today.

Birmingham teenager first in UK to receive groundbreaking diabetes treatment

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Early diagnosis and detection, Inflammation and chronic disease.

A young patient identified by the ELSA study as having early stages of Type 1 Diabetes, has received treatment to delay the condition.

Sam, aged 14 and from Kings Norton, was the first to receive the new drug, Teplizumab, at the Clinical Research Facility at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Sam’s dad, Chris, has Type 1 diabetes and knowing that family members are more likely to develop the disease, Sam was screened for early stages of the condition and learnt he would develop Type 1 Diabetes. However, there was good news for the family when Sam was offered Teplizumab, a new treatment to delay the onset of the chronic illness. Past trials have proven that Teplizumab delays insulin-dependent diabetes for up to three years.

Sam’s mum, Louise, explained: “I know from Sam’s dad just how stressful life with Type 1 Diabetes is, having to constantly monitor your blood sugar and carry insulin with you at all times. We’re so happy that Sam doesn’t have to worry about his blood sugar yet, especially while he is doing his GCSEs. He can just be a normal teenager.”

Teplizumab is prescribed on a case-by-case basis for children who have been recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and are at early stages.

Dr Renuka Dias, a researcher from University of Birmingham’s Department of Applied Health Sciences and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist working at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said: “Being able to delay insulin-dependent diabetes will have a huge impact on a child’s life. It means we are letting children have a normal childhood for much longer.”

Dr Dias and her specialist team at the Clinical Research Centre who were involved in Sam’s care have also been integral to a first-of-its-kind study, led by the University of Birmingham, to screen children aged 3 to 13 to find out their risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The study aims to allow treatment to begin sooner and, as in Sam’s case, delay the start of the condition.

The ELSA study has screened over 20,000 children in the UK for Type 1 Diabetes in the last two years. The study is now scaling up throughout Europe.

Unfortunately, it often takes a child becoming seriously unwell for a diagnosis of Type1 Diabetes to be made. Through the study, families identified with a child who is at-risk can begin educating themselves about the condition and learning about the options for management before they find themselves in that crisis situation.

Support and education has been made available to study participants. In addition, some children, like Sam, will be eligible to explore treatment options that could delay the onset of the condition.

Parth Narendran, Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the University of Birmingham and lead for the Type 1 Diabetes clinical service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), said: “We hope that the ELSA study will lead to the roll-out of Type 1 Diabetes early detection programme for children in the UK and that many more children could then benefit from potential treatments to delay Type 1 Diabetes in future.”

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals, the University of Birmingham, and University Hospitals Birmingham – which operates QEHB – are founder-members of Birmingham Health Partners. Fellow BHP members Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is an ELSA Study partner.

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New UK network to strengthen regulatory environment for advanced therapies

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Experimental medicine.

A new network has been established to foster collaboration among regulators, industry, and researchers to ensure there is a world-leading regulatory environment in the UK for advanced therapies that supports companies in the development, trial, and launch of these innovative treatments.

The network has been established by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), an independent innovation and technology organisation specialising in the advancement of the cell and gene therapy industry, and the Birmingham Health Partners Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CRSI), funded by Innovate UK and support from the MHRA.

The effective regulation of advanced therapies is vital to ensure that patients can access these transformative treatments promptly, to prepare the healthcare sector for the large-scale deployment of these therapies, and to ensure patient safety.

To help achieve this, the network will work with the UK regulators, predominately the MHRA, to identify effective and efficient regulatory strategies that address the unique challenges of these therapies. By sharing its recommendations with therapy developers and regulatory and healthcare stakeholders, it will support the UK to build a first-in-class regulatory ecosystem that welcomes and encourages healthcare innovation. This aims to enable the timely development of, and improved access to, safe and effective advanced therapies.

The network is one of seven new Centres of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation established by Innovate UK to help shape the development and approval of medical innovations in the UK.

Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive of the CGT Catapult, said: “Advanced therapies are both an opportunity for patients and an opportunity for the UK. This initiative is part of a drive to keep the UK as a leader in this field.”

Melanie Calvert, Deputy Director of the Birmingham Health Partners Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation, Director of the Centre for Patient Reported Outcomes Research, Professor of Outcomes Methodology at the University of Birmingham, NIHR Senior Investigator and co-lead of the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre’s Patient Reported Outcomes research theme, said: “As the number of advanced therapies requiring regulatory approval increases, it is essential that regulatory frameworks are developed that are fit-for-purpose. Our focus at Birmingham is understanding how the patient voice can help shape regulatory decision making and ensuring that we understand the risks and benefits of treatment from the patient perspective. I am excited to leverage our extensive expertise in the field and work with our partners to provide patients with timely access to transformative treatments.”

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Karen Crowdy and Linda Everard named first BHP People award winners

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in BHP People, Birmingham Health Partners, Clinical trials.

The BHP People award is a new reward and recognition scheme from Birmingham Health Partners, designed to shine a spotlight on our colleagues who play a vital role in the success of clinical trials and research studies, and whose work is integral to groundbreaking scientific endeavours.

By championing individuals including research nurses, statisticians, pharmacists and many others, BHP People also highlights the incredible diversity of careers in research and the essential contributions that these professionals make. As well as celebrating individual excellence, the initiative reflects the shared dedication of our diverse partner organisations to driving collaborative research.

The inaugural BHP People award winners are:

  • Dr Karen Crowdy, Director of Research Strategy and Operations at the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN). Karen has been recognised for her outstanding contributions to research delivery, collaboration, training, and culture, as well as her transformative impact on IHN’s growth and success.
  • Linda Everard, R&D Implementation and Performance Manager at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. With a passion for mental health research and service improvement, Linda has been recognised for ensuring that as many service users as possible have access to clinical trials and high-quality research.

Nominating Karen, Aston University’s Professor Claire Farrow, Deputy Dean Research and Enterprise in the College of Health and Life Sciences, said: “As a result of Karen’s work the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment is thriving. She supports academics to deliver a programme of pioneering research into paediatric conditions such as epilepsy, child brain tumours, and neuro-immunological diseases, leading to the development of personalised interventions that will make a difference to health care professionals, families and children.

“Much of the research that she supports also tackles critical health challenges in the Birmingham area, including respiratory health, child obesity, and diabetes, ensuring research has a direct impact on health inequalities.”

Beyond her strategic influence, Karen understands what makes a great research culture and has spearheaded multiple initiatives to bring together researchers, support early-career researchers, negotiate cotutelle agreements, and stimulate research collaboration and discussion.

Professor Farrow added: “Karen’s creativity combined with exceptional organisation and drive have positioned IHN as a leader in advancing personalised interventions and evidence-based healthcare solutions for children and families. She is a very worthy winner of this award, exemplifying the core values of the BHP People scheme.”

We sat down with Karen to find out a little more about her career journey to date, and how vital cross-organisational collaboration is to research in Birmingham – read her story here: “BHP People – find your niche.”

Linda was nominated by BSMHFT’s Head of Research and Development, Emma Patterson, who said: “Without Linda, we quite simply would not be able to run clinical trials. She leads a highly skilled, enthusiastic and motivated team and provides them with opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills by developing their own research.

“She plays a crucial role in training and mentoring the next generation of investigators, supporting new PIs as they take on NIHR portfolio trials and guiding them toward becoming future Chief Investigators. Thanks to her dedication, our research portfolio continues to grow, reaching new clinical areas and broadening opportunities for both staff and service users.

“Beyond her operational impact, Linda is deeply committed to making high-quality research accessible to as many service users as possible. As a co-founder of the Trust’s Lived Experience Action Research (LEAR) Group, she has helped ensure that service users are involved at every stage of research development and delivery. She continues to drive innovation by establishing research champions and engaging underrepresented communities, making her an invaluable force in the advancement of mental health research.”

We met with Linda to find out a little more about her journey from clinical psychology to research delivery, and how she is embedding a culture of research at BSMHFT. Read her story here: “BHP People – research is everyone’s business.”

The BHP People award will be presented quarterly, focusing on a different pair of member organisations each time.