Last week we kicked off our new programme of stakeholder events by hosting a roundtable with devolved administrations. I was delighted to welcome colleagues from Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Northern Ireland, and Wales, to discuss everyone’s priorities and think about opportunities in the life sciences sector.
I think it’s fair to say the last couple of years have been challenging for everyone. As well as working against a backdrop of areas of growth, innovation, and positive change across the sectors we regulate, they too are also recovering from the pandemic. We’ve seen some changes of practise, not least with the pace of change within research.
It was great to be back around the table to discuss these new challenges and to consider opportunities for collaboration on the horizon too. Despite the changing landscape, our shared goal of the safe and trusted use of human tissue remains the same.
I asked colleagues about their top three emerging issues from their horizon scanning work, and it was interesting to hear about thoughts on this from their respective areas. There were a number of cross overs covering areas of new and emerging practice, innovation within life sciences and opportunities for us to collaborate, such as novel forms of transplantation and bioengineering of organs. This was alongside of ongoing work such as EU Exit and potential changes to legislative frameworks. Northern Ireland colleagues specifically raised the planning and preparation for Spring 2023 and the introduction of deemed consent for organ donation.
Events and discussions such as these are important for all of us operating across health and the wider life sciences system to share priorities, opportunities to collaborate and translate conversations into action. My take away was the value that we all expressed in this ongoing dialogue and that actively participating in conversations around innovation will help us all stay ahead of the curve.
As a regulator, we aim to be effective, responsive, and proportionate in our work. In order that we can continue to do so feedback on what we do, how we do it and the impact is critical from the DAs and other stakeholders.
I’d like to thank colleagues who joined us for their valuable contributions to our discussion. We’re looking forward to hosting more stakeholder events over next year. Please get in touch with HTA if you’d like to know more about these events.
Louise Dineley
Director of Data, Technology and Development
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