At the House of Lords on 26 January 2026, senior health leaders from the United Kingdom and India convened for the inaugural ‘Rebuilding NHS Futures: UK-India Perspectives on Care Delivery’ roundtable, part of the IGF UK-India Future Forum Dialogue Series.
Hosted by India Global Forum as part of its UK-India Parliamentary Lunch marking India’s Republic Day, the 75 minute session launched a new dialogue focused on the future of NHS reform and the role of bilateral collaboration in reshaping care delivery.
The roundtable was chaired by Lord Ara Darzi, Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London. It brought together senior policymakers and leaders from across healthcare and life sciences to examine how the NHS can transition towards neighbourhood based, preventive models of care, and how partnership with India could support that shift.
Among those contributing to the discussion were Dame Patricia Hewitt, Senior Advisor, Feebris; Chair, Hewitt Review; Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, UK ; Professor Meghana Pandit, Interim National Medical Director and Director General at the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England; and Lopa Patel MBE, Chair ARC and Non-Executive Director at NHS South West Peninsula Cluster Board, among others. Held under Chatham House rules, the roundtable enabled a focused and open exchange on the structural reforms, digital infrastructure and financial incentives required to deliver sustainable change at scale.
Central to the discussion was the NHS’s planned investment in technology and its ambition to establish 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres by 2030. Participants explored how India’s experience in delivering scalable primary care and community health models could complement the UK’s GP led system and established regulatory frameworks. The potential for India to act as a delivery partner in supporting decentralised and preventive care pathways was examined in detail.
The dialogue also addressed how UK-India collaboration might accelerate the co-piloting, evaluation and scaling of new therapeutics, treatments and health technologies across NHS Trusts. Particular attention was given to the respective contributions of the public sector, industry and emerging innovation ecosystems in ensuring that new models of care can be implemented effectively and consistently.
Life sciences partnerships formed a further strand of the conversation, with discussion centred on how India’s scale and operational efficiency could be aligned with the UK’s research capability and regulatory expertise to shape the next phase of NHS reform. Strengthening health system resilience and enhancing collective responses to shared global health priorities were identified as areas of mutual interest.
The session formed part of a broader programme of engagement under the UK-India Future Forum, including dialogue on artificial intelligence ahead of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi and the launch of the UK-India Quantum Bridge. Together, these initiatives reflect the growing depth of cooperation across healthcare, science and technology within the UK-India corridor.
The launch of the Rebuilding NHS Futures dialogue at the House of Lords signalled a continued commitment from both countries to pursue practical, policy-led collaboration in support of equitable, technology enabled and sustainable healthcare systems.
About UK-India Future Forum (UKIFF)
UKIFF is the most effective platform for businesses and policymakers to grow their engagement with emerging disruptive technologies within the UK-India corridor, and beyond. It facilitates high-level engagement between business leaders, policymakers and academia to spotlight opportunities and advance their implementation. Outcome driven programmes culminate in set piece calendar events including UK-India Week, the UK-India Parliamentary Lunch and London Diwali Reception.
As part of its ongoing work over the past year, IGF shared their latest report: From Convening to Consequence: A New Phase of UK-India Partnerships. The report reflects IGF and UKIFF’s work across multiple platforms and geographies, and outlines how UK–India engagement is evolving across frontier sectors such as AI, quantum technologies and healthcare, with clear opportunities for institutions, companies and regions to play a more active role.
About India Global Forum (IGF)
India Global Forum is a global affairs organisation that tells the story of contemporary India. We believe India’s pace of change and growth presents limitless opportunities to the world – and we’re the gateway to seize them. We shape ideas that drive action, through an engaged membership network spanning geographies and sectors.
For further information visit indiaglobalforum.com