People should have greater say and involvement in how they access healthcare, agreed experts at a Business School conference last week.

Industry experts and delegates attending the Mobilising Business: Acting on Future Health conference at Imperial College Business School agreed that patients often miss out on receiving the best care when there is a misalignment of resources, which impacts on the availability of treatments.

They agreed that patients would benefit more from a health system that puts their needs first – rather than the needs of the health provider, such as a hospital or clinic, or government funders.

There was also a consensus that public health services are too slow to adopt new technologies whilst hospitals waited for governments to make decisions, affecting whether patients are able to access the right treatment in time.

The conference brought together Imperial academics with businesses and other key people in the health sector to explore what needs to be done to improve patient care, including the role of technology and innovation in boosting health services.

Welcoming delegates to the event, Professor James Barlow, Chair in Technology and Innovation Management, said: "Providing affordable, sustainable healthcare to all is one of the biggest global challenges today.” He argued that businesses have a huge role to play in tackling the big health challenges facing society, such as obesity and malnutrition. He said that although technology is rapidly advancing, the timescale for new innovations to get off the ground doesn’t always match the pressing needs of patients who urgently need access to new technology.

BETTER BUSINESS MODELS FOR LONGER LIFE EXPECTANCY

Dr Mark Britnell, Chairman and Senior Partner, Global Health Practice at KPMG gave a keynote speech about what he described as “the good, the bad and the ugly of the global health challenge”. He outlined the findings of a recent KPMG study undertaken with the World Economic Forum investigating underperformance across health systems. The research showed how a misalignment between key stakeholders, such as governments and businesses, can impact on how long people live, and health expenditure.

Dr Britnell argued that people can expect to live an extra four years if the conflicting healthcare incentives, behaviours, structures and policies for patient care are aligned. He said: “If you want to protect the state you can do it for less. If you want to improve costs you need to improve stakeholder alignment.” He praised Israel for having an efficient health system that successfully integrates technology into patient care, which in turn boosts the country’s economy.

HARNESSING INNOVATION

A series of panel discussions tackled the need for more innovation and better connection between scientists and businesses, the lack of treatments for diseases and the rising cost of drug development. Panellists also highlighted the financial constraints which prevent innovation and the issue of public trust in innovators when new services are introduced to the market. The conversations also looked at how artificial intelligence will help health workers perform better in their jobs.

Summarising the day’s discussions, Professor Barlow said: “When it comes to delivering high quality care, it’s all about having strong business models, which includes technology. The disconnect between stakeholders is a massive issue that needs addressing, particularly in a fast paced healthcare environment.”

Dr Laure de Preux, Assistant Professor at Imperial College Business School and co-chair of the event said: “This event has clearly highlighted the importance of partnerships between the different actors of the health sector to reduce inefficiencies, improve the R&D process as well as the delivery of innovation. This is key to creating a sustainable healthcare system in future.”