Q&A Webinar: The Evolving NHS Landscape in England – From Policy to Practice

After a short summer break, Petauri Evidence have returned with the latest instalment in the NHS Whispers series: live Q&A sessions with senior NHS decision-makers and industry experts, designed to help you make sense of the shifting NHS landscape in England.

On 19th September,  Katie Mulholland (Senior Consultant, UK Market Access, Petauri Evidence) spoke to:

• Sarah Everest Ford (Programme Director, Health and Care Partnership)
• Patrick McGee (Deputy Programme Director for Pathology, Lancashire & South Cumbria)
• Prof. Phil Richardson (Former Dorset ICS System Commissioning Director; now Chief Innovation Officer, Petauri Evidence)

Together, they explored the implications of changing NHS structure and policy, and what this means for your market access, stakeholder engagement, and product innovation strategies.

In previous sessions, we tackled NHS England restructuring, commissioning reshaping, and the future of integrated care boards (ICBs). Since then, several key developments have emerged:

• Release of the 10 Year Plan with a focus on prevention, digital, and moving care to the community
• New Revenue Finance and Contracting Guidance for 2025/26, including a 2% efficiency mandate and needs-based allocations for acute and mental health services
• Clarified cost reduction targets for ICBs, with some ICBs facing up to 53% cuts in running costs
• Abolition of the elective payment limit and introduction of Best Practice Tariffs (BPTs) to support outpatient care
• Movement towards a single national formulary, integrated health organisations, and early adopters of the Neighbourhoods model
• Changes to Drug Tariff Part IX, affecting Conformité Européenne (CE)-marked devices and procurement pathways

What we covered?

This session was shaped by your questions. Key themes included:

• Evolving NHS structures, policies, and practices – and what this means for industry
• Strategic commissioning: where will it happen, and who will lead it?
• The 10 Year Plan and its implications for innovation and access
• How industry can adapt to new engagement models and financial constraints
• What the shift to integrated neighbourhoods means for product rollout and service design

Listen to the podcast:

This episode is also available as a podcast. Listen below or search ‘Pharma Market Access Insights – from Petauri Evidence’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

 

About our guest speakers

Sarah Everest Ford (Programme Director, Health and Care Partnership)

Sarah is a highly experienced senior healthcare leader and nurse, with a background in strategy, commissioning, project and programme management, operational management, and, of course, nursing. She has worked across the health and care sector for over 25 years, where she has held roles such as Strategy Director at OneMedical Group, Head of Business Development and Strategy at DHU Healthcare, Assistant Chief Commissioning Officer – Integration at North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and Senior Public Health and Commissioning Manager at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Sarah recently authored this insights article ‘Navigating NHS Market Access: Policy Change and Opportunity in England’ for us, where she explored the transformation in the NHS and what this means for industry–NHS engagements. She also suggested actionable takeaways for Pharma and Medtech teams looking to achieve market access in the UK.

 

Patrick McGee (Deputy Programme Director for Pathology, Lancashire & South Cumbria)

Patrick was previously a key figure in the largest integrated care system in the country, serving as Head of Strategy, Planning, and Performance at the trailblazing NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership.

In February 2024, he commenced a new role in the NHS as Deputy Programme Director for Pathology in Lancashire and South Cumbria, leading on a major transformation agenda.

Having first joined the NHS as a graduate management trainee, Patrick has led Women and Children’s services (including Elective, Cancer, Paediatric, and Maternity services) as an Operational Manager, and held roles as Senior Commissioner for Urgent and Emergency Care, and Primary and Community Care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was seconded as a Senior Policy Adviser to the Minister for Health at the Department for Health and Social Care.