October 2024: The University of Bath Institute for Policy Research has published this policy brief: Protecting patients and the NHS through full transparency in industry-NHS collaborations.
Ensuring full transparency of these financial ties is essential, but the current disclosure system in England, created and overseen by the industry, does little to address these risks. Independent research and the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review have highlighted its failures. In addition, cases of avoidable patient harm and instances of major companies failing to disclose their payments to the NHS and its staff underscore the urgent need for reform. The policy brief is published against the backdrop of a new investigation from The BMJ, which reveals that drug companies paid an estimated £156m to NHS trusts in England between 2015 and 2022, with a lack of transparency around these payments.
Pharma pours millions into the NHS for non-research work—but we don’t know what the money is being spent on: 
In late 2023, the Government ran a consultation on improving the current system for disclosing financial ties to the public, but the authors of the policy brief say that these proposals offer only modest improvements.
Instead, this policy brief recommends legislative changes in three key areas based on patient experience, international best practices, and research evidence. These reforms will promote transparency and will support the Labour Government’s core missions to strengthen the NHS and drive investment in life sciences. Following the scope of the IMMDS Review, the reforms focus on England, but their core transparency principles are relevant for all devolved administrations within the UK.