The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has joined hands with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) to create health innovation sandbox in Manchester to test new technologies and accelerate their safe adoption in the NHS.
The promising innovations will be tested in real NHS settings and help patients benefit from earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and faster access to proven new technologies.
The programme aims to rapidly evaluate healthcare solutions that can improve patient care and safety, reduce pressure on NHS services and support wider adoption of technologies that work.
By deploying and testing technologies in real healthcare settings, with appropriate oversight and guardrails, the programme will generate practical evidence on their ongoing safety, effectiveness and impact. This will help the NHS make more informed decisions on the effectiveness of innovations to cater to patients’ needs.
The first technologies to be tested is expected to include AI-enabled medical devices, such as tools that can identify patients at higher risk of complications from long-term conditions, enabling earlier support and treatment.
Learning from the programme will be shared across the NHS and could help inform how effective new technologies are introduced in other parts of the country.
Health Innovation Minister, James Frith, said: “Manchester is leading the way in getting the best new technologies into the hands of local patients faster – from AI models that can identify people at risk sooner to innovative treatments that could transform NHS care.
“But innovation must never come at the expense of safety. That is why this partnership will test out new technologies in real NHS settings but with strict oversight and guardrails, helping us to identify what works, in a carefully controlled way, and making a real difference to patients across Greater Manchester.”
