Helping research thrive

Maintaining the UK’s position as a global leader in medical research

In the UK, research has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory diseases since the 1960s. Medical research is one of the UK’s biggest assets, contributing significantly to both the health and wellbeing of the public and the strength of the economy. The UK is uniquely well-positioned to continue to lead globally – it is already home to outstanding research institutions that help translate research outcomes into meaningful patient care, in combination with a thriving life sciences industry and a healthcare system open to all.

• Around a quarter of the world’s top 100 prescription medicines were discovered and developed in the UK
• Every £1 million spent on medical research funding by charities in the UK supports:
  • £3.15 million of output
  • £1.83 million of Gross Value Added
  • 27 jobs.

Successive UK governments have highlighted the important role medical research plays in ensuring the health and wealth of the nation, from leading the way out of the Covid-19 pandemic, to supporting the UK’s world-leading advanced research infrastructure.

As the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research in the UK, BHF has been at the centre of these efforts. However, there are pervasive issues that threaten to undermine, or even undo, this progress. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) research continues to be underinvested in, relative to its impact on society. Our NHS staff lack the necessary support, time and training to maximise the research potential of the service. Finally, the nation’s visa system incurs prohibitive upfront costs, harming our ability to compete with other top science nations to attract international research talent.

There are three key areas we want the Government to focus its efforts to ensure that research into heart and circulatory diseases continues to thrive:

1. Increase investment in UK R&D and cardiovascular research 

To succeed in delivering on the UK’s research and development (R&D) potential, investment must match or surpass our international competitor science nations, where we currently lag. Recent inflationary pressures have almost wiped-out the value of Government spending increases on R&D since 2021. Without additional commitments, the UK will never reach its ambition of being a leading science superpower. 

CVD research has historically been underfunded compared to disease burden. Prioritising research in CVD, which is the condition that increases the risk of exit from employment most significantly, is vital to ensuring the UK is fit to drive growth. There is a significant opportunity for the Government to improve its R&D standing whilst also delivering significant impact in tackling heart disease, by increasing public funding of R&D, with CVD prioritised. 

Achieving this will require the Government to work with the research councils and funders, to identify the areas of most urgent need and align funding with their plans for an industrial strategy. The Government can deliver the long-term sustainability of UK R&D and CVD research, but it needs to invest, and act, now. 

2. Build clinical research capacity in the NHS 

Clinical research seeks to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. As such, it's important that NHS staff are able and supported to conduct clinical research. 

Evidence shows that engaging in clinical research activity can increase job satisfaction and boost morale. Patients treated in clinical research active settings show lower mortality rates and increased confidence in the care being provided. 

However, a report by Cancer Research UK, which BHF contributed to, revealed that NHS staff lack the skills, training, and time they need to conduct clinical research. Furthermore, a House of Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry found that qualified healthcare professionals and clinical academics, who apply their knowledge of the latest research to clinical practice, face issues with pay, pensions and career progression. The same inquiry found research time for NHS consultants and clinical academics isn't protected. 

To fix this, the Government should strengthen the research mandate secured in the 2022 Health and Care Act, which BHF worked to establish. This can be achieved by creating schemes to improve staff recruitment and retention, providing protected and dedicated time for health professionals to conduct research, and working with NHS and funders to promote representation and inclusivity in both the research workforce and among clinical research participants.

3. Ensure the UK is an attractive place to carry out research 

The UK’s R&D sector is only as strong as the talent that delivers the lifesaving research and world-leading innovations within it. The ability to attract and recruit top international research talent is essential if BHF and the wider sector is to succeed in helping make the UK a global science superpower. A recent assessment of BHF’s award holders showed that 24% reported not having British or British Dual nationality status, likely being international researchers.

However, visa fee increases over recent years means the cost for an international researcher to join our workforce is higher than for all our competitor science nations by a large margin. According to analysis by Royal Society, a family of four coming to the UK on a five-year Global Talent visa will have to pay £20,974 in upfront costs, up 57% from £13,372 between 2021 and 2024. Despite being the expected route for international talent, the overall cost of a Global Talent Visa is 1,583% higher than the average visa cost compared to our competitor science nations. 

These high costs make the UK a less attractive place for international research talent, giving a competitive edge to the top science nations with far lower financial barriers to entry. If the UK is to maximise its competitiveness and become a top scientific nation, the Home Office must review the impact high visa fees are having on the recruitment of international research and innovation staff. 

Working with patients to inform our policies

Involving patients in our research

The BHF offers unique opportunities for people with lived experience of heart & circulatory diseases to contribute to the co-design and prioritisation of research activities. Patient involvement in research is vital in ensuring we fund research which has the greatest potential to benefit patients and the public, and it has been included as a key part of our strategy to 2030.

The BHF has assembled a Patient Advisory Group consisting of 16 members to represent the patient perspective in clinical research decision making processes. These patients help to assess applications for the BHF’s Clinical Study Grants, which support high value clinical trials, while two patients also sit on the Clinical Studies Committee. The group is broadly representative of the heart and circulatory disease patient population so that they can be matched to applications that tally with their personal experience.

Patient Data Panel

The British Heart Foundation, in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, co-manages a patient data panel consisting of 12 patients. These patients not only share their lived experience with cardiovascular disease and cancer but have also developed expertise in understanding the complicated landscape around health data – both the challenges and the opportunities it provides. The panel allows the two charities to understand the patient perspective when we develop policy initiatives so that no crucial viewpoints are missed. It also speaks to the BHF’s wider strategic commitment to work with patients and the public for better health and care.

It was initially formed in response to the NHS opt-out, which allows patients to stop their health data from being used by the NHS for healthcare planning purposes or research – the panel was instrumental in responding to related NHS enquiries. They were also important in guiding early thinking in the establishment of the BHF’s new £10m data science centre, which has been set up in partnership with Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), and will promote the safe and ethical use of data within cardiovascular research. The panel has been recognised more widely for their expertise and has been consulted by NHS X, NHS England and Imperial College to ensure early input from patients.

If you work in health data policy and would like to consult with the patient data panel, please contact the BHF policy team at [email protected].

Putting Patients at the heart of Artificial Intelligence

The BHF worked with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Heart and Circulatory Diseases to release a report ‘Putting patients at the heart of artificial intelligence' in 2019. The inquiry examined patient perspectives on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare and consisted of a literature review, a public survey and roundtable discussions with patients, policy makers, cardiologists, researchers and industry representatives. We found that AI has the potential to improve outcomes for people with heart and circulatory diseases in numerous ways from prevention, to treatment, to follow-up care.

Potential uses include medical imaging (for scans to diagnose conditions and to predict outcomes), triaging, and better self-management of care. The survey revealed that 91% of people with heart and circulatory diseases think the public should be well informed about the use of AI in the healthcare sector. In response, we presented six key recommendations, many of which presented a case for engaging patients and the public during the development and adoption of AI. For more information, read the report below.