The relationship between our universities and NHS organisations is one of the oldest, strongest and most valuable local partnerships we have. With the success of the vaccine development and roll-out you could argue this relationship has never had a higher profile – why the need to reimagine it?

COVID-19 has exposed just how fragile some of our communities are. As anchor institutions, universities and NHS organisations are rightly being pushed by our partners to explore their wider impact in the local economy and to better understand the role and responsibilities they have to support their communities. It is also clear that ‘place’ is here to stay in policy-making terms, reflecting the need for strong relationship building between sectors, with a focus on both trust and tangible outcomes.

This session will discuss early findings from a series of leadership roundtables organised by the Civic University Network and the NHS Confederation. We will explore how universities and the NHS can work together to maximise their collective benefits to society and the economy, ensuring this relationship remains at the heart of discussions relating to changes in national and system-wide health and care policy, the awareness and role of anchor institutions, and the emerging levelling-up agenda.

This session forms part of the System Integration & Collaboration theme, which is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK.