NEWS
IBMS and Roche call for focus on IVDs to support NHS
A new report has shown that the UK can build a more preventive, efficient, and resilient healthcare system fit for the future by prioritising investment in in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) across the NHS. The Power of Testing report, developed by Roche Diagnostics in partnership with the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) – and supported by The Royal College of Pathologists, and the Association for Laboratory Medicine – builds on the ambitions set out in the Government’s recent 10 Year Plan for the NHS to demonstrate the urgent need to better utilise IVDs in order to unlock transformational change that will guarantee the sustainability of the service for generations to come.
Diagnostics have an essential role in patient care delivery, but they are continually
overlooked in planning and investment: while IVDs help guide over 70% of clinical decisions, they receive less than 1% of NHS budget allocation. Given the part IVDs can play in getting the right care to patients efficiently, the report shows how sufficient funding for IVDs will be crucial for realising the 10 Year Plan’s ambition to shift healthcare to a more preventative, personalised, and community-based model, as well as support system efficiency and economic productivity. The report also highlights how the expertise of the biomedical workforce should be harnessed to lead on pathway redesign and coordination of IVD adoption across the NHS. David Wells, IBMS Chief Executive, said:
“This report highlights the urgent need to invest in IVDs and the professionals who deliver them. Biomedical scientists are central to turning diagnostic innovation into safe, effective care – improving outcomes, supporting prevention, and reducing pressure across the NHS. Prioritising both IVD technologies and the biomedical workforce is essential to achieving a more resilient, efficient, and equitable health system.” The full report is available at https://
www.ibms.org/resource/the-power-of- testing.html.
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Call for action to unblock UK MedTech bottlenecks
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has published three interconnected reports offering the most comprehensive analysis to date of the challenges facing UK MedTech innovators. Drawing on insights
from 240 small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 100 investors and 10 university technology transfer offices, the reports spell out the solutions needed to unlock the full potential of UK MedTech and deliver on the promises of the healthcare and life science sectors. Central to the NHS 10-Year Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan, both released in July 2025, is adoption of cutting-edge medical technologies. However, UK-based MedTech innovators say they face too many barriers with funding and regulatory hurdles, especially compared to the funding and regulatory ecosystems for MedTech innovation in the United States. Rahul Kapoor, Director of HealthTech at CPI, said: “The life sciences sector, including medical devices, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals, is a priority sector for the
UK and a significant economic driver. Achieving the 10-year plan requires access to funding for rapid development and reducing barriers to adoption of life saving technologies.” The reports include a series of specific
recommendations aimed at
enabling SMEs to navigate the regulatory process, find the funding they need and bring innovations to market. These reports were developed as part of
the MedTech Accelerator: Rapid Regulatory Support (MARRS) Fund, a programme funded by the UK’s Office for Life Sciences to provide grants for regulatory guidance and to enable growth in the UK MedTech industry. The three reports: ‘Challenges and opportunities for the UK MedTech SME ecosystem 2025’; ‘Understanding investment barriers in the UK MedTech ecosystem’; and ‘Turning innovation into impact: Removing barriers for MedTech spinouts in the UK’; are available to view and download on the CPI website at www.
uk-cpi.com/resources/guides.
UKHSA warns on pre-schoolers’ vaccinations
Newly published data show that nearly one- in-five children starting primary school are not fully protected against several serious diseases, prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England to call for parents and healthcare workers to catch up on missed vaccinations. The latest annual uptake data on childhood vaccines (April 2024-March 2025) published recently by UKHSA, shows 18.6% of children have not received their pre- school booster jab. The figures report on children who
turned five years in the 12 months up to 31 March 2025. In England over the last 10 years, the coverage or uptake rates for the pre-school booster peaked at 86.3% in 2015 to 2016. The latest data, at 81.4%, is nearly 5% lower than the peak. Outside of London, the coverage for England was 85.0%. The 4-in-1 pre-school booster helps
protect against four serious illnesses – polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria.
The vaccine boosts the protection provided by previous vaccines, ensuring children have the essential protection they need when starting primary school. The data also shows that uptake
measured for thee doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine by five years of age in England increased by 0.2% to 92.8%. This increase is encouraging, and healthcare professionals are urging further progress towards reaching the peak of 95.6% over the last 10 years (2016 to 2017). A further 2.8% increase is needed to reach the peak level. NHS England and regional ICB teams have continued the drive to encourage parents to vaccinate their children including hosting extra clinics, catch up opportunities in schools and localised outreach projects to target low uptake areas across the country. Early results from today’s released data indicates that the decline in the MMR1 vaccine has stabilised with 91.8% receiving their first dose by the age of five years.
OCTOBER 2025
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