Patients in Manchester could benefit from earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and faster access to proven new technologies under a major new partnership launched today (2 September) that will test promising innovations in real NHS settings.
The partnership brings together the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), building on the MHRA’s wider use of regulatory sandboxes to support safe innovation and accelerate patient benefit.
As the first major programme under the partnership, a new Manchester Sandbox will allow innovative technologies to be deployed and tested in NHS settings, generating evidence safely on how they perform with patients and clinicians in their day-to-day practice.
Working with MFT, 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. This collaboration provides the opportunity to test proportionate, lifecycle based regulatory approaches fit for the current and future needs of the healthcare system.
The first technologies are 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, supporting wider access to innovation for patients.
New healthcare technologies often show potential in development, but proving they work in real healthcare settings is critical, so patients can benefit from them. The Manchester Sandbox has been created to address this challenge, bringing together healthcare providers, regulators and innovators earlier in the process.
Regulatory sandboxes are a key part of the MHRA’s approach to enabling safe innovation for patients. 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 about which innovations best meet the needs of their patients in practice and deploy those technologies faster. It will also help developers better understand the evidence needed for wider NHS use.
Manchester is increasingly recognised as one of the UK’s leading systems for health innovation, combining one of the country’s largest NHS trusts with world-class research expertise, advanced digital capabilities and a growing AI sector. The programme builds on long-standing collaboration between the NHS, universities, innovators and regulators across the region, further strengthening Manchester’s position as an attractive destination for health research, development and investment.
Local leaders joined representatives from the MHRA and Manchester University NHS Foundation today at the launch of the partnership, held at MFT’s Oxford Road Campus in the centre of the city, and one of the largest academic health campuses in Europe. The event included demonstrations of emerging technologies, including wearable products and AIpowered Ambient Voice Technology products that are already supporting earlier intervention and improved patient care.
MFT and MHRA will convene a roundtable later this year, bringing together the regulator, healthcare providers, innovators, researchers, and patient and public representatives to explore future opportunities of the programme and help shape the next wave of projects.
The MHRA will also invite expressions of interest from medical device developers interested in taking part in the next phase of the programme.
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.”
MHRA Chief Executive, Lawrence Tallon, said:
“AI and other emerging technologies have enormous potential to improve patient care. The challenge is understanding how they work in practice and where they can make the biggest difference.
“Manchester brings together the NHS, innovators, researchers and regulators to do exactly that. The learning from this programme could help shape how safe and effective technologies are introduced across the country, helping more patients benefit from innovation.”
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive, Mark Cubbon, said: “Patients should benefit from innovation as quickly as possible, but they should never have to choose between access and safety.
“This partnership brings together key partners earlier in the process so we can understand what works and how new technologies perform in real healthcare settings.
“By creating a clearer route from innovation to safe adoption, we can help people gain faster access to developments that have the potential to improve care, while maintaining the high standards of safety that patients rightly expect.
“The learning we generate here at MFT could help shape how effective innovations are adopted across the wider NHS, and we are excited to share it more widely at the right time.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig, said:
“As a city region, we have always pioneered new ideas, and this partnership shows how our strengths in AI, health data and innovation can improve peoples’ lives.
“This new collaboration between MHRA and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust will help new healthcare technologies be adopted safely and more quickly — improving access to life-changing treatments while supporting growth across our city region.
“I’m proud that Greater Manchester is helping shape the future of healthcare innovation, backed by our world-class NHS services, universities, researchers, innovators and industry partners.”