Healthcare Partnerships Q1 2026 | A promotional supplement distributed on behalf of Mediaplanet, which takes sole responsibility for its content
Dr Katherine Boylan Director of Innovation, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Right partnerships How strategic key to mutual wins partnerships can reduce for healthcare and pressure on the NHS industry Partnership is essential to improving population health and, in turn, helping reduce pressure on the NHS.
Manchester hospital aims to be the UK’s leading NHS trust for innovation and the healthcare innovation partner of choice for industry.
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anchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is one of the largest and most specialist NHS providers in England, delivering hospital and community services to almost one million people. Innovation at MFT has multiple touchpoints with industry, and activity relies on partnership with the commercial sector — from licensing opportunities for homegrown intellectual property by supporting our industry partners’ evidence needs and working hand in glove to introduce technologies into routine use. Europe’s largest clinical academic campus MFT is home to Europe’s largest clinical academic campus, delivered through a first-of-its-kind joint venture with a commercial partner, harnessing the power of place to serve the needs of local companies (large and small) and the Trust. We know the key factors for success when developing meaningful cross-sector relationships, learnt though both very successful and less successful collaborations, but all informing our learning. Essential to everything is identifying the right partner — a company that shares our beliefs and values but also provides a solution that aligns with a local need or challenge. Proactive
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demand signalling rather than reacting to incoming approaches is key. With the right partnerships, the potential mutual wins will be evident upfront and driven by a joint desire to deliver benefit for both sides. This might be financial (NHS), commercial (company) or reputational (both), and it’s shortsighted to consider only economic benefits. Use case: Medtronic and MFT In a partnership formalised through a strategic agreement in 2025, colleagues from MFT and Medtronic meet in monthly touchpoints that identify, progress and monitor ongoing collaborative projects. In one example, we’ve undertaken a project evaluating the Medtronic/Corsano wearable device for monitoring of immunocompromised patients — work to expand it into other use cases is ongoing. Key to the success is the alignment between the MFT’s population needs and the strategic driver to deliver technologyenabled care, and Medtronic’s corporate mission of supporting health through innovative biomedical engineering. In the wearables example, the alignment with UK Government policy around the “big bet” technologies is a win-win!
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Christopher George Health Economics Policy Advisor, NHS Confederation
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any forces that determine people’s health, including housing, social care and finances, sit beyond the power of clinicians or the confines of a hospital. While the NHS can treat people who fall ill, preventing ill health, frequent GP appointments and hospital admissions requires others to act too. Why partner engagement is important It’s critical that the NHS engages with the full range of partners with the power to improve health outcomes. The network of groups and institutions with a role to play is broader than many realise. Key players are mayors and their strategic authorities. Devolution has led to the creation of more elected mayors with additional powers to help determine population health. With growing responsibility for transport, housing and economic development, these mayors and devolved authorities will continue to be key partners for the NHS. Ensuring local growth, health and industrial strategies align is an opportunity to improve outcomes more effectively and efficiently. However, partnerships shouldn’t be limited to larger entities. NHS organisations should also look to engage with partners at every level of society, from football clubs to schools, universities, libraries and even hairdressers and barbershops. A top-down uniform model of public services is increasingly resulting in reforms based on local needs and wants from the bottom up. This approach provides opportunities for a broader range of partnerships, but also greater efficiency in how services are delivered to local people. Pride in Place Central to this shift is Pride in Place, led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, which is the government’s flagship strategy for communityled regeneration. Around 380 of the most deprived neighbourhoods will receive £20 million each over the next 10 years. This is a significant opportunity to make preventative healthcare in communities a reality and something NHS organisations would do well to embrace. Reducing pressure on NHS services sustainably depends on partnerships. Uniting us are the communities we serve, and by collaborating for and with these communities, we improve population health for everyone’s benefit.
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