New Office for Life Sciences healthcare blueprint launched

A new blueprint that aims to place innovation at the core of healthcare delivery in the UK has been launched in London by Lord Darzi and Lord Drayson.

The Office For Life Sciences plan hopes to overhaul the operating environment for life sciences firms and provide faster access to new technologies and therapies to patients, the Department of Health states.

A number of key actions have been agreed upon by the government, NHS, industry and the academic community, including a review of system levers and incentives in order to speed up the uptake of medical technologies.

Meanwhile, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the government will roll out a three-year scheme that will make selected innovative treatments available on the NHS for a limited period of time.

This scheme will be called an Innovation Pass and will have a budget of £25 million.

Lord Drayson, who became a lord in June 2004, said: “We are changing how industry, academia, government and the NHS work together to create jobs and ensure a bright future for this country.”