University of Nottingham and Boots launch digital healthcare research partnership

The University of Nottingham and Boots have announced a new collaboration focused on research and evidence generation in digital and integrated healthcare.

The Baseline

• The University of Nottingham and Boots have partnered on research and evidence generation in digital and integrated healthcare.
• The collaboration will examine digital healthcare access, patient engagement, and the use of technology-supported treatments.
• The partners also plan to generate real-world evidence and examine inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes.

A new partnership between the University of Nottingham and Boots, the UK's leading health and beauty retailer, will examine how technology-enabled healthcare services are accessed, experienced and used, with a focus on generating evidence to inform healthcare delivery, policy, and practice. Bringing together researchers and healthcare practitioners from both organizations, the collaboration will consider how different approaches work across patient populations and circumstances.

The companies will explore how people engage with new models of care, including digital services, personalized communication, and technology-supported treatment. Bringing together expertise across pharmacy, medicine, psychology, health policy, data science, and communication, they aim to assess what works in practice and how these approaches can be delivered safely, effectively, and fairly.

The partners plan to generate real-world evidence (RWE) relating to healthcare services, examine inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes, and investigate the responsible use of data and technology.

Professor Tracey Thornley, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, said:

“Healthcare is changing rapidly, and it is essential that innovation is underpinned by strong evidence. By bringing together academic expertise and practical healthcare insight, we have an opportunity to generate knowledge that improves care, informs policy and creates lasting benefits for patients and society.”

Education and research capacity will also form part of the collaboration, with plans to create opportunities for students and researchers and support the development of healthcare researchers and innovators. Over time, the partners expect the collaboration to generate research publications and contribute to national discussions on healthcare.

Jamie Kerruish, Chief Healthcare Officer, Boots, stated:

“We’re excited to be partnering with the University of Nottingham, bringing together our strengths in industry to accelerate research, support innovation and enable the development of convenient healthcare solutions available on the high-street.”