Last week, in support of World Kidney Day, we shared the learnings from our project into early diagnosis and management of Chronic Kidney Disease, which affects 15% of over 35s in the UK and costs our health system £1.45 billion annually. 

Working alongside AstraZeneca, North West London Applied Research Collaborative (NWL ARC), Imperial College London (ICL) and the London Kidney Network (LKN), we used our collective skills in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), co-designing pathway improvements in workshops with patients and clinicians. We used our Discover-NOW hub data capabilities to evaluate them, and our transformation expertise to test them in GP practices, once again getting patient feedback as part of the process. The project is a brilliant showcase of a partnership working to deliver a more proactive, preventative model of care.  

Marrying insights and local demand from NHS partners with research, industry and academic partners to solve clinical and operational challenges is a powerful model for innovation. The mix of qualitative and quantitative data and insights driving health research and evaluating changes enables a population health management approach focussed on the most pressing issues, while also supporting us to prioritise health inequity. Harnessing our strong connections to industry and our deep understanding of the system also supports market entry for new medicines and technology, which in turn are improved by their real world evaluation. An approach we call our Living Laboratory. 

Furthermore, linking data back to real patients – as we will continue to do as part of our Discover-NOW CKD data study which is analysing the CKD population over the last 10 years – allows us to understand how great ideas hold up in the real world over a sustained period of time, insights which are vital to underpin change and innovation. Projects like this, and our HSJ award-winning iHeart project, demonstrate the purposeful Impact that data-informed and insights-driven system and commercial partnerships can have, particularly when focused on priority areas.  

The NHS is facing unprecedented pressures and it is often hard to find the time for transformation. However, rebuilding in a new way might be the best chance to improve outcomes and make the NHS principles sustainable. The NHS can’t do this on its own and collaboration and partnerships with others will be vital on this journey. As we move into a new financial year, and reflect on the last, we feel privileged to have such strong connections across the innovation ecosystem and look forward to delivering more Impact for our population through greater collaboration and focus, alongside all our brilliant North West London colleagues.  

Best wishes, 

Axel 

Dr Axel Heitmueller  
Managing Director