NIHR and OLS invest £7.8m in new technology to benefit patients

NIHR and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) have funded 7 new research projects aimed at bringing new technologies into the NHS to benefit patients.

Health innovation provides critical solutions to key challenges faced by the health system, and as part of the health and growth missions action is being taken across government to ensure this innovation makes it into the hands of patients who need it. 

The seven projects funded include research into digitally-enabled cognitive behavioural therapies, digital tools to support weight loss and low back pain, and virtual reality therapy for severe mental health difficulties. These products have been identified as promising medical technologies that meet a national unmet need, with the potential to have most impact and add value to patients and the health and care system. 

The funded teams will be gathering real world evidence for their products. This will help to accelerate adoption of these technologies, which have been recommended for early use in the NHS through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Early Value Assessment and contribute to creating an NHS fit for the future. 

The funding aims to help make the UK a leading testbed for early-stage health innovations. It will allow researchers and companies to generate the evidence needed to achieve full NICE guidance, and to accelerate uptake in the NHS so that patients can benefit sooner. 

Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR’s Scientific Director for Innovation, said: “The UK is a hotbed of innovation but the NHS sometimes misses out on the opportunity to adopt new digital technologies at scale. This competition gives seven organisations the chance to gather the real world evidence to show impact and support their adoption at scale."

Rosalind Campion, Director, Office for Life Sciences, said: "MedTech has a hugely important role in improving patient outcomes, improving NHS productivity, and transforming the NHS through life sciences. However, its full potential is held back without the ability to generate the Real World Evidence needed to support wider access and uptake. That is why I am delighted that the Office for Life Sciences is supporting this pilot with the ultimate aim of ensuring patients have timely access to the medical technologies that they need."

Mark Chapman, Director of HealthTech at NICE, said: “We are evaluating more digital technologies than ever before, but many come to us with a limited evidence base which means we cannot fully evaluate them. Our independent committees have established there are some benefits for NHS patients to be using these technologies, but they need further evidence to understand whether they are clinically and cost-effective.

“When evidence generation is completed, we will carry out a full assessment, and if recommended help guide NHS commissioners to roll out the interventions which provide people with the best care, while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.”

Funded projects

Internet-enabled cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for adults with depression or anxiety disorders

Dr Matthew Franklin, University of Sheffield

This project is comparing internet-delivered CBT (iCBT) to individual or group CBT, to see how well iCBT works in the NHS and whether it offers value for money. The research will also look at how well iCBT works across different groups of people.

Evaluating digitally enabled cognitive therapies for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder

Professor Anke Ehlers, University of Oxford

Internet-delivered cognitive therapies for social anxiety disorder and PTSD have shown some good results, but more evidence is needed for wider use. This research will compare these therapies to usual NHS treatment to see if it’s possible to offer patients a wider choice of treatments in the future.

Long-term impact of using digital tool Gro Health W8Buddy

Dr Petra Hanson, University of Warwick

This project aims to understand the long-term benefits of using an online and smartphone app to support people living with obesity. The study will compare outcomes for people using the Gro Health W8Buddy system to those receiving standard NHS care from weight management services.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of digital technology for low back pain

Dr Alice Berry, University of the West of England, Bristol

There are many digital tools to support people with low back pain, but it’s not clear how well they work. This project will assess if the getUBetter app helps to improve pain and patients’ ability to engage with daily activities, and whether it offers good value for money for the NHS.

Integrating digital innovation in weight management

Dr Andrew Walker, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Health Innovation Network South London, and Professor Emma Duncan, King’s College London

This project will test a digital weight management programme called Roczen with patients in South East London. The researchers will look at various ways to use the programme, including offering it to patients on waiting lists for specialist obesity care, and to patients who are leaving specialist care. 

Gamechange VR for patients with severe mental health difficulties

Professor Daniel Freeman, University of Oxford

This project focuses on gameChange, a pioneering virtual reality (VR) treatment for people with psychosis. The study will help decide whether gameChange should be recommended for use in the NHS, testing how well it works, and whether it is inclusive and affordable.

Pharmacogenetics to avoid loss of hearing (PALOH-UK)

Professor William Newman, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

This study is investigating wider use of a genetic test that can determine which babies can safely receive an antibiotic called gentamicin, which can sometimes cause hearing loss. Previous research shows the test works well and can help prevent hearing loss by giving a quick result to show which babies are at risk and should be given a different drug. This research will test this approach more widely across 14 neonatal units across the UK.