Patients are set to benefit from cutting edge medical advances and treatments as part of a £260 million investment to support research and development, as well as the manufacturing of new drugs, devices and diagnostics.

Up to £200 million will be invested to enable research to better access NHS data through Trusted Research Environments and digital clinical trial services. This will make crucial data more securely and quickly available for research, while offering the highest levels of privacy.

It will also ensure that the NHS will be able to deliver new life-saving treatments to patients faster, and will support more diverse and inclusive clinical research to tackle health inequalities and improve patient care.

The £200 million funding into the healthcare system will deliver on government commitments set out in the Life Sciences Vision, to harness NHS data to drive health research and innovation, building on pioneering work carried out during the pandemic to develop diagnostics and treatment for Covid-19. This includes the RECOVERY trial which made use of NHS data through NHS DigiTrials and led to the discovery of Dexamethasone, the world’s first proven treatment for Covid-19, in just 100 days, which has saved at least a million lives across the world.

A further £60 million will support commercial-scale manufacturing investments by companies at the leading-edge of innovation, from cell and gene therapies and earlier and better diagnostic technologies, to medical devices.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “NHS data is making the whole world safer and healthier and has been vital in saving thousands of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding will ensure the UK can continue to help researchers access NHS data securely so patients can benefit from more innovative treatments faster. I’m absolutely committed to boosting the UK’s position as a world-leading research centre, transforming our health service and ensuring the NHS continues to deliver excellent care for patients.”