Advanced Oxford welcomes the launch of the new Respiratory Transformation Partnership, a £10 million national coalition designed to accelerate diagnosis, improve treatment and transform care for people living with respiratory disease.
Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley, an Advanced Oxford member, is leading the programme on behalf of the Health Innovation Network. The initiative brings together NHS systems, industry partners, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS England and health innovation networks across the country to address unmet need and deliver more proactive, community based care.
Tackling one of the UK’s biggest health challenges
Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death in the UK and affects approximately one in six people during their lifetime. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, are the most common long term conditions. Respiratory illness accounts for around 20 per cent of all deaths, 8 per cent of hospital admissions and 10 per cent of inpatient bed days. It is estimated to cost the UK economy £188 billion annually.
Despite the scale of the challenge, earlier diagnosis and better long term management can significantly reduce avoidable hospital admissions and improve quality of life.
Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said:
“Too many people with asthma and lung disease end up rushed to hospital when, with the right care and support, that admission could have been avoided entirely. For far too long these patients have been let down because of a broken system. This government is bringing together the NHS, industry and local health innovation networks to make sure patients get the treatment they need, closer to home, before their condition reaches crisis point.
This £10 million partnership is a concrete example of what our reform agenda looks like in practice, shifting care out of hospitals and into communities, using data to reach patients who have been missed, and working hand in hand with industry to get the best treatments to the people who need them most.”
A blueprint for system wide transformation
The Respiratory Transformation Partnership aligns with the government’s three strategic shifts in healthcare, moving care from hospital to community settings, from analogue to digital systems, and from crisis treatment to prevention through earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
By bringing policy, commissioning, innovation and frontline delivery together under a single programme, the initiative aims to create a scalable national model for asthma and COPD care.
For Oxfordshire and the wider region, this leadership role reinforces the strength of our health innovation ecosystem and demonstrates how collaboration between research, healthcare systems and industry can deliver tangible improvements in patient outcomes.
Find out more about the Respiratory Transformation Partnership
