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31st May 2019

The Bevan Commission and Health Technology Wales forge a strategic partnership

The collaboration will further enable the NHS in Wales to benefit from expert technical advice and robust research support

The Bevan Commission and Health Technology Wales have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the quality of health and care in Wales.

It is hoped that the strategic partnership will enable NHS professionals to access expert guidance, support health and care innovation and strengthen analysis of the effectiveness of the health and care system.

Health Technology Wales is a national body set up in 2017 to work with partners across health, social care and the technology sectors to deliver a strategic approach to the identification, appraisal and adoption of new health technologies.

It is funded by Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales, but independent of both. Its remit covers any health technology that isn’t a medicine, such as medical devices, surgical procedures, psychological therapies or tele-monitoring.

The Bevan Commission is Wales’ leading think tank for health and care, which is transforming the NHS through expert thinking and radical action. It brings together 22 internationally renowned experts from academia, third sector, the NHS and industry to advise, analyse and comment on health and care related matters.

Prudent healthcare, pioneered in Wales by the Bevan Commission, is at the heart of Welsh Government health policy. The Bevan Commission is translating prudent healthcare into action by supporting over 140 successful Bevan Exemplars; NHS staff who are testing out their own innovative ideas to improve health outcomes, patient experiences and resource efficiency.

Dr Susan Myles, Director of Health Technology Wales (HTW), said: “As two organisations with ambitious goals, it’s sensible and timely for us to foster closer linkages to maximise use of our resources. The mutual benefits both parties can receive will include an increased knowledge base, including access to experts and networks, as well as a professional peer group to ensure the quality of our work.

“We feel strongly that through our strategic engagement, Health Technology Wales and the Bevan Commission will identify opportunities to partner and contribute to care systems that are fit for the future.”

Helen Howson, Director of the Bevan Commission, said: “We are delighted to be entering into a strategic partnership with Health Technology Wales. Since 2008, the Bevan Commission has proved to be a vital ‘critical friend’ to the NHS in Wales by analysing and challenging policy areas such as workforce, patient engagement and quality. We also make a real difference at grassroots level by supporting NHS professionals and members of the public to influence change and inspire action.

We believe that by working with Health Technology Wale we can improve the technical delivery of our successful Bevan Exemplar programme, and strengthen the evidence base behind our analyses of the delivery of the NHS in Wales.”

The collaboration has already produced successful outcomes, including:

  • Health Technology Assessment methods were used for the Bevan Commission Health Technology Exemplars to produce topic exploration reports and support assessment.
  • Health Technology Wales researchers ran advice surgeries for the Bevan Commission’s Health Technology Exemplar applicants and provided extended support to projects on an ad hoc basis.
  • Health Technology Wales will present its work on the Bevan Commission’s Health Technology Exemplars scheme at the HTAi 2019 Annual Meeting in Cologne.
  • Health Technology Wales commissioned Cedar to produce a brief overview of Social Return On Investment (SROI) methodology to inform both Health Technology Wales and Bevan Commission work.
  • The Director of Health Technology Wales will again act as a dragon on the forthcoming ‘Dragons’ Den’ expert panel to select the 2019-20 cohort of Bevan Health Technology Exemplars.