WIREDGOV

Foreword

Less than 100 metres from the NHS England offices in London, lies the birthplace of Michael Faraday – one of the greatest experimental scientists ever.

While he is best remembered for his studies and discoveries around electromagnetism what many people forget is the breadth of his portfolio during his career.

Alongside scientific research, Michael Faraday took on many projects for private industry and public service, from investigating coal mine explosions, to investigating the foul state of the River Thames. He remained committed to education and bringing young people into science, particularly through his Royal Institution lectures.

Modern-day healthcare scientists can learn a lot from Faraday’s example, as the speakers at the #HCS15 Chief Scientific Officer’s conference set out. Speakers including Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP, Sir Mark Walport, the Governments Chief Scientist, Health Education England Chief Executive Ian Cumming and NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens, all set out the importance of the scientific and technological contribution to transforming and innovating healthcare to meet future challenges.

We heard from scientists and leading speakers across the many areas where the healthcare science input is so important, from research and academic careers through to industry partnerships and communicating science to the public.

I brought these themes together in my keynote speech, where I set out that we were facing a perfect storm for healthcare science at the NHS, where the social, financial and demographic pressures on healthcare meet the potential that science has to transform the delivery of care as we deliver the Five Year Forward View.

You should feel spurred on by the recognition for the profession that came out over the two days and the realisation of the breadth of opportunities. Follow Michael Faraday’s example and build a rounded career that makes the most of your talents and make sure you play your part at the heart of the perfect storm.

Sue

#HCS15 conference -Presentation and summaries

The 2015 Chief Scientific Officer’s #HCS15 Healthcare Science: Making it Happen conference held in London earlier this month was a huge success. More than 200 delegates heard from speakers including Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens and Government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Sir Mark Walport. All the presentations from the event are now available to view online. You can also read twitter summaries of the talks and discussions for both day 1 and day 2 of the conference.

2015 Healthcare Science Awards – Winners and pictures

The 2015 Healthcare Science Awards were held at a gala dinner as part of the #HCS15 conference, with the awards presented by guest of honour Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, National Medical director for England, and the Chief Scientific Officer Professor Sue Hill OBE. Angela Douglas, of Liverpool Women’s Hospital, was named Healthcare Scientist of the Year, leading 10 categories that showcased the talent from across the profession. Read more about the winners, including pictures from the event. You can also read a twitter summary of the evening.

NHS England Business Plan sets out priorities for 2015-16

Building the NHS of the Five year Forward View, the NHS England Business Plan 2015/16 sets out the headline goals and 10 key priorities for the coming year to ensure both high quality care for the people of England and efficiency for the taxpayer. The importance of science to the NHS is spelt out throughout the document, from developments around specialised services to the information revolution with a whole priority area around ‘Developing leading edge science and innovation’.

Action Plan on Hearing Loss published

A new ‘Action Plan on Hearing Loss’ to support services for deaf people and those with diminishing hearing has been published jointly by NHS England and the Department of Health, supported by organisations across the health & care system including Public Health England. It sets out the importance for all health professionals to recognise and take account of the 10 million people with hearing loss, given the profound effect that communication problems can have on an individual’s ability to access services and get the best for their health.

Funded Masters courses and CPD modules now available to support development of genomic technologies

The Health Education England Genomics Education Programme is offering NHS staff a specially-developed fully-funded MSc in Genomic Medicine and associated CPD modules. This to support the NHS’s role in the 100,000 Genomes Project and to drive wider service transformation around the development of genomic technologies. The Masters and CPD modules will be offered through a national network of universities. Alongside the MSc, a number of short online courses have been developed, including introductory overviews to Genomics and Bioinformatics, which provide certified learning for staff.

Review and testbeds speed up research and innovation

The Department of Health and the Office for Life Sciences have launched a review to improve the speed at which medical innovations including new diagnostics, apps, and precision medicines get to patients and their families. The Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor aims to ensure that the UK is the fastest place in the world for the design, development and widespread adoption of medical innovations. Alongside this, NHS England has launched a global call for innovators to partner with local health and care systems in trialling new technologies, digital services and other innovations.

Have your say on service specification for specialised services

NHS England has launched a consultation on the service specifications for a range of specialist services including PET-CT imaging, proton beam radiotherapy, haemodialysis and neuropathology. The consultation will run until 23 April 2015. NHS England is also asking interested individuals to register as formal stakeholders of the various Clinical Reference Groups for specialist services, to ensure that people get information and opportunities for engagement whenever changes are proposed.

New arrangements proposed for genetic and molecular pathology services

NHS England is consulting on proposed new arrangements for genetic laboratory services and their linkages through to a new network of local hubs providing molecular pathology services. The proposals would see the introduction of Genomics Centralised Laboratory Hubs, delivering services over significant geographical areas of England, linked through to Genomics Local Laboratory Hubs covering molecular pathology and testing closer to patient care. The consultation runs until 14 April 2015.

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