Working in Partnership

We work closely with a range of partners who also support the health and care system, industry, and academia to have the most significant impact for our stakeholders.

These partners include but are not limited to the National Institute for Healthcare Excellence (NICE), NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARCs); NHS Confederation; the Health Foundation; Health Education England (HEE); the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI); and Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI). 

Working with innovators

AHSNs work with companies, SMEs, entrepreneurs and health and care partners to test, demonstrate, and where relevant spread innovative solutions to health and care challenges. AHSNs don’t directly endorse specific companies, innovations, or approaches, but present promising innovative solutions for colleagues in the health and care system to learn from and potentially explore in further detail. 

Commercial agreements

While our overarching funding comes from NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Government’s Office for Life Sciences, for some programmes of work, where appropriate, we develop joint working agreements with commercial organisations.

In some instances this includes additional funding which enables the AHSNs and NHS to reach more patients, while ensuring the health and care system benefit from the very best innovations in health and care.

Known as a ‘transfer of value’ this could be a direct payment from industry to a regional AHSN towards an AHSN project or programme, or a secondment of staff from industry to support AHSN projects.

For transparency, each AHSN publishes information about individual transfers of including reasons for entering the partnership. We will be publishing further information on this soon.

You can find out more about the processes in place to manage conflicts of interest from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, who host the HIN.