MHRA and Manchester NHS partner on health innovation sandbox

New partnership to create health innovation sandbox that will test promising new technologies and build evidence to accelerate the safe adoption of technologies, including AI, in the NHS.

Senior leaders from MHRA and Manchester NHS Foundation Trust at the launch of the Manchester Sandbox

Patients in Manchester could benefit from earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and faster access to proven new technologies under a major new partnership launched today, 2 September, that will test promising innovations in real NHS settings. 

The partnership brings together the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), building on the MHRA’s wider use of regulatory sandboxes to support safe innovation and accelerate patient benefit. 

As the first major programme under the partnership, a new Manchester Sandbox will allow innovative technologies to be deployed and tested in NHS settings, generating evidence safely on how they perform with patients and clinicians in their day-to-day practice.  

Working with MFT, the programme aims to rapidly evaluate healthcare solutions that can improve patient care and safety, reduce pressure on NHS services and support wider adoption of technologies that work. This collaboration provides the opportunity to test proportionate, lifecycle based regulatory approaches fit for the current and future needs of the healthcare system. 

The first technologies are expected to include AI-enabled medical devices, such as tools that can identify patients at higher risk of complications from long-term conditions, enabling earlier support and treatment. 

Learning from the programme will be shared across the NHS and could help inform how effective new technologies are introduced in other parts of the country, supporting wider access to innovation for patients.