Manchester NHS and MHRA launch partnership to test new technology in real-world care

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has joined forces with the UK’s medicines and medical devices regulator to test emerging healthcare technologies in real NHS settings, with artificial intelligence expected to be among the first areas explored.

The partnership between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will establish a new health innovation “sandbox”, allowing promising technologies to be evaluated while they are being used in real clinical environments.

The aim is to gather stronger evidence about how new technology performs when used by patients and healthcare professionals in everyday care, rather than relying solely on results generated during development or in controlled settings. The programme will examine safety, effectiveness and impact, with successful technologies potentially progressing towards wider adoption across the NHS.

AI-enabled medical devices are expected to be among the first technologies considered through the programme. One potential application identified by the MHRA is technology capable of identifying patients who are at greater risk of developing complications from long-term health conditions, potentially allowing healthcare teams to intervene before their condition deteriorates.

The partnership is intended to bring NHS organisations, regulators and technology developers together earlier in the process. Technologies will be deployed with appropriate safeguards and oversight, allowing evidence to be collected about how they perform alongside patients and clinicians in practice.

Patients receiving care in Manchester could potentially gain earlier access to technologies being assessed through the scheme. The MHRA said innovations considered through the partnership could contribute to earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and quicker access to technologies that have demonstrated a benefit.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the country’s largest NHS trusts and operates services across hospitals and community settings. The partnership will also draw on Greater Manchester’s established health research, university, digital and technology infrastructure.

The launch at MFT’s Oxford Road Campus included demonstrations of emerging technologies, including wearable products and AI-powered ambient voice technology. Ambient voice systems can be used during clinical consultations to help capture and document information, potentially reducing some of the administrative burden placed on healthcare professionals.

The programme comes as regulators and the NHS consider how healthcare services can take advantage of rapidly developing artificial intelligence and digital medical devices without compromising patient safety.

The MHRA’s National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has previously highlighted the importance of real-world evidence and continued monitoring of AI-enabled medical devices. As healthcare software becomes increasingly sophisticated, regulators are considering how products should be assessed not only before they enter clinical practice, but as they are used within healthcare services.

Regulatory sandboxes provide a controlled way of exploring some of those challenges, allowing new technologies and approaches to be tested within defined safeguards while regulators, clinicians and developers gather evidence about their performance.

Health Innovation Minister James Frith said the partnership would help ensure promising innovations could be tested in real NHS environments while maintaining a focus on patient safety.

Although the initial programme will operate in Manchester, evidence and lessons generated through the work are expected to be shared across the NHS, potentially helping other organisations understand how technologies that prove successful can be introduced safely.

MFT and the MHRA are also planning a roundtable involving healthcare providers, researchers, innovators, regulators and patient and public representatives to help shape future projects. The MHRA is expected to invite expressions of interest from medical device developers interested in participating in the next stage of the programme.

For patients and healthcare professionals, the value of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether emerging technologies can demonstrate genuine benefits once they move beyond development and into everyday care.

New technology can promise earlier diagnoses, reduced administration and more personalised treatment, but those benefits need to work safely and effectively for real patients in real healthcare settings. The Manchester programme is intended to provide the evidence to establish which innovations can deliver on that promise.

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