Written question asked by Chris Green (Conservative) on Monday, 7 January 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 January 2019. It was answered by Caroline Dinenage (Conservative) on Tuesday, 15 January 2019 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Medicine: Innovation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that (a) innovations in technology and the use of data transform the health service and (b) the UK remains at the forefront of life sciences.

Answer: Our vision for how technology and innovation can be harnessed to transform health and care was set out in the paper, ‘The Future of Healthcare: Our Vision for Digital, Data and Technology in Health and Care’, published on 17 October 2018, and is at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan published last week. The Life Sciences Sector Deal 2, published in December 2018 just over a year after the first, also contains complementary measures to deliver on these aims. The ambitious Sector Deals set out how government and the sector will work closely together and invest to keep the United Kingdom at the forefront of life sciences, delivering both for the economy and UK patients.

Secondary information