A major collaboration between Greater Manchester and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been secured for a further three years.

A Memorandum of Understanding between NICE, Health Innovation Manchester and The University of Manchester has been agreed which sets out a shared commitment to improving the overall health of the population through research and informing health policy and practice, as well as through the development and evaluation of health technologies. Collaboration between the three parties will also focus on teaching, training and education.

A key project which will be undertaken through the partnership is ‘Data Lab’. Building on Greater Manchester’s extensive expertise and numerous digital and data assets, the Data Lab will explore how routinely collected information, such as anonymised data derived from patient records, may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of medicines, new technologies and interventions in the development of NICE guidance.

Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of NICE, commented: “NICE greatly values the opportunities for further broad ranging collaboration with Greater Manchester colleagues. Building on the strong progress previously made in teaching and educational activities, we welcome increased research collaboration across many areas of mutual interest, including the Data Lab project”.

The news also comes as Greater Manchester has recently announced that it will receive £7.5m investment from NHS England to become a Local Health and Care Record Exemplar (LHCRE) – one of only three locations in the country selected to establish an integrated health and care record across a large population. It means that health and social care IT systems across all 10 boroughs will be connected so they can share information more easily and allow professionals to make better decisions based on the most up to date information.

Ben Bridgewater, Chief Executive of Health Innovation Manchester, commented: “Being able to use data for research purposes is vital so that we can provide modern day healthcare that radically improves the health and wellbeing of our citizens. Having a shared care record through the LHCRE programme will greatly enhance our ability to conduct world-leading research here in Greater Manchester, providing a richer and more accurate data pool.

“The Data Lab will be a key part of Greater Manchester’s digital innovation offer, where we will use data, insights and engagement to transform services and provide better care to our citizens.”

Prof Ian Greer, Vice-President of the University of Manchester and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, commented: “Agreeing the memorandum of understanding for a further three years with NICE greatly enriches our ability to deliver real population health improvements through our world class research and education programmes alongside other partners, including industry. The Data Lab demonstrates our shared commitment to being at the leading edge of digital innovation”.

The renewed partnership agreement was signed by leaders from NICE, Health Innovation Manchester and The University of Manchester on 22 June 2018.