Government fuels NHS innovation to unlock billions in growth
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-18)

The government updates NHS IP guidance for the first time in 23 years, cutting red tape so innovations reach patients faster and boost the UK's economic growth.

- Patients to access new treatments quicker as government slashes red tape and streamlines NHS intellectual property (IP) guidance for first time in 23 years
- Move will support NHS becoming global leader in health systems and allow innovations to be scaled across NHS more quickly and easily
- Clearer, simpler rules will unleash enormous potential of NHS innovators while unlocking billions in economic growth
Patients will get access to the most advanced and groundbreaking treatments quicker, as the government slashes red tape to get new innovative products and ideas to the frontline.

The government has unveiled vital updates to the Intellectual property (IP) guidance for the NHS in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/intellectual-property-ip-guidance-for-the-nhs-in-england) - the first such update in 23 years - to turbocharge innovation, speed up patient access to new technologies and unlock economic growth.

The NHS is still relying on guidance set up in 2002, which was not designed for cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). This means outdated processes have slowed down getting groundbreaking innovations to the front line, often being held up in complex local and legal negotiations.

Real opportunities have been lost as a result, pushing the UK behind other health systems in translating NHS innovation into commercial success. In one case, a major collaboration between an NHS-affiliated researcher and a tech company - which had attracted significant interest and potential investment - was derailed after nearly 2 years of legal negotiations. In another, a company providing speech and language therapy support to 200 schools faced ongoing uncertainty for almost 2 years due to the absence of clear IP policies, hampering growth and delaying benefits to children.

The new guidance addresses these challenges by streamlining processes, defining clearer roles and responsibilities, promoting consistent good practices in IP management across the NHS, and making it simpler for ideas to move from concept to commercialisation, so that innovation can reach patients faster and drive growth for the NHS and our economy.

Developed in collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the updated guidance directly supports the government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future. As outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future), it gets the basic conditions right to promote innovation and create the conditions for local entrepreneurship, both inside and beyond the NHS, supporting grassroots innovation.

Health Innovation and Safety Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, said:

For too long, innovators have faced unnecessary barriers when trying to bring life-changing ideas to patients through the NHS. This updated guidance removes the red tape and provides the clarity needed to accelerate innovation across our health service.

By getting the fundamentals right, we can drive transformation, commercialise ideas both domestically and internationally, and strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in health and life sciences research and innovation.

Most importantly, it will ensure that the benefits of innovation - from improved patient care and more efficient services to fair commercial returns - flow directly back to patients, staff and the NHS, strengthening its role.

This new guidance ensures the NHS is fairly rewarded for the innovations it helps create - with any returns reinvested straight back into patient care and future innovation.

This refreshed guidance replaces the outdated 2002 framework that has left innovators and collaborators with the NHS navigating a maze of uncertainty - inconsistent IP management approaches, unclear processes and barriers that have held back great ideas across the NHS. Without reform, the UK risks missing significant opportunities to turn innovation into real impact for patients, staff and the wider economy.

Fiona Bride, Interim Chief Commercial Officer at NHS England, said:

We are pleased to have worked closely with government on this refreshed IP guidance, which brings much-needed clarity and consistency to how innovation is supported across the health service, and will help to get new treatments and technologies to patients faster.

The NHS has an exceptional record in bringing forward the latest innovations to patients, and this guidance will strengthen this further, giving clinicians, researchers and partners the confidence to progress ideas that improve care, and help to deliver the ambitions of the 10-Year Plan.

The guidance delivers on the Life Sciences Sector Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-sciences-sector-plan) by:
- accelerating patient access to new medicines and medical technologies
- enabling world-class research and development
- supporting the commercialisation of ideas both domestically and internationally
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR, said:

The IP guidance for the NHS marks a pivotal step in strengthening our health and care research ecosystem and will be a catalyst for progress in research and innovation. It empowers our researchers and innovators to translate ideas into impact - accelerating discovery, improving patient outcomes and reinforcing the UK’s position as a global leader in health and life sciences.

The update is aimed at all organisations providing or commissioning NHS services across England and will provide clarity for innovators, research funders, academia and industry partners on IP ownership, collaboration and commercialisation.

Effective IP management is central to unlocking the full value of innovations needed to drive healthcare reform and deliver the government’s 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan to build an NHS fit for the future.

Andrew Davies, Executive Director, Digital Health (Association of British HealthTech Industries), said:

Clear IP guidance is essential to unlock safe, scalable innovation in the NHS. With the right framework, industry can invest with confidence, co-develop solutions more effectively and bring cutting-edge technologies to patients, while strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in HealthTech. We welcome updated guidance that provides clarity and consistency on roles and expectations, and supports effective collaboration between industry and the NHS.

Professor Ben Bridgewater, Executive Chair of the Health Innovation Network, said:

The refreshed intellectual property guidance is a welcome step towards unlocking the full potential of innovation, particularly digital innovation, in the NHS.

Innovation is central to delivering on the ambitions set out in the 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, but to meet the needs of patients, health systems and the requirement of economic growth, we must better enable the implementation and spread of innovation.

This new guidance aims to support this by removing some of the complexity and barriers, particularly around ownership and commercialisation. We look forward to working with partners to help ensure the new guidance translates into progress on the ground.