The Life Sciences Healthcare Goals programme has updated its public information pages, setting out revised objectives and progress across work focused on dementia, cancer, mental health, obesity and addiction.
The programme brings together industry, academia, the third sector and the NHS to address major healthcare challenges. It is intended to use a Vaccine Taskforce-type approach, with organisations collaborating across early disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, as well as the development of new products and technologies.
The Healthcare Goals were launched in 2022 across five disease areas: dementia, cancer, mental health, obesity and addiction. In 2023, expert chairs were appointed to help shape the direction of the individual goals and support progress in each area.
A new programme page has been created to set out the Healthcare Goals programme’s objectives and key performance indicators. Minor updates have also been made to the Dementia and Cancer Goals webpages.
The latest changes include updates on the progress of the Cancer, Mental Health and Addiction Healthcare Goals, as well as further links relating to the programme. The programme pages have also been revised to reflect progress in the delivery of the Addiction, Obesity and Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programmes.
Further updates have been made to reflect delivery of the Addiction, Mental Health, Dementia and Obesity Healthcare Goals programmes. The webpages now include the latest objectives for each programme, updated biographies for the Mental Health Goals chairs, and information about a new competition in the Obesity Healthcare Goals programme.
The Cancer Goals are also listed as contributing £5 million towards the second round of Innovate UK’s Advancing Precision Medicine funding competition. The updated pages additionally refer to the recently published 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Information and links across the webpages have been refreshed. Information around funding has been removed from the main Healthcare Goals webpage, according to the update.
The addiction goals page has also been amended to include progress on the PSP process. It now says that, in August 2024, the PSP launched its first survey to gather research questions from the community. After analysis of the responses, a second prioritisation survey was launched in January, with a final workshop to agree the Top 10 research questions due to take place in March.
The obesity goals chair’s biography has also been updated to describe the role as Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine.
The overall programme is positioned as a collaborative effort to accelerate progress in major disease areas by connecting research, healthcare delivery and innovation. Its stated aims include improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, and supporting the development of breakthrough healthcare products and technologies.
