Health Technology Wales and AWTTC sign strategic alliance
Health Technology Wales and the All Wales Therapeutics & Toxicology Centre (AWTTC) will work closely together in their roles to provide expert advice and guidance to healthcare providers.
The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and will share mutual benefits by fostering closer linkages and learning from each other’s processes.
Dr Susan Myles, Director of Health Technology Wales, said: “With Health Technology Wales’ remit relating to non-medicine health technologies and AWTTC’s remit relating to medicines, our collaboration on national priority areas is a natural step in our work to improve the quality of care in Wales.”
Health Technology Wales is a national body set up in 2017 to work with partners across health, social care and the technology sectors to deliver a strategic approach to the identification, appraisal and adoption of new health technologies. It’s funded by Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales, but independent of both. Their remit covers any health technology that isn’t a medicine, such as medical devices, surgical procedures, psychological therapies or tele-monitoring.
Click here to learn more about Health Technology Wales.
AWTTC delivers a portfolio of services in therapeutics and toxicology, including health technology appraisal of medicines. It wants to create a healthier, better informed Wales and aims to be the authority on therapeutics and toxicology in Wales. AWTTC has representation on several of Health Technology Wales’ groups, including the Appraisal Panel, Assessment Group and Front Door Signposting Group.
Click here for more information about AWTTC.
The two organisations will provide each other with enhanced access to; centres of excellence, peer groups, national and international networks. There will also be development opportunities for staff and this has already happened – a Health Services Researcher joined Health Technology Wales on secondment from AWTTC in November.
The appraisal functions of both organisations will benefit from two-way ‘critical friend’ peer reviews and quality assurance processes. Staff will also receive methodological advice from their peers, drawing on the respective strengths of each organisation.
