IPEM responds to the Chancellor's Autumn Budget 2026

Responding to the Chancellor's Autumn Budget, Gill Collinson, Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM), said:

We welcome the Government's recognition of the opportunities that AI, technology and innovation present for transforming healthcare, improving NHS productivity and delivering better outcomes for patients.

Medical physicists, clinical engineers and clinical technologists are at the forefront of this transformation. Working across healthcare, academia and industry, they play a vital role in developing, evaluating and translating scientific and technological innovation into clinical practice, from AI-enabled diagnostics and advanced imaging to robotic surgery, radiotherapy and emerging medical technologies.

We particularly welcome the announcement of an independent review of NHS productivity and AI, led by Mark Bailie, which will report in early 2027 and inform the next Spending Review. Its focus on identifying practical opportunities for AI and technology to transform patient services and improve productivity is encouraging. The Government's new AI Challenge Prize, initially focused on NHS innovation, also presents opportunities to accelerate the development of solutions to healthcare challenges.

However, realising these ambitions requires more than investment in technology alone. Scientific and engineering expertise is essential not only to developing and implementing innovation, but also to evaluating its effectiveness, ensuring patient safety and translating technological advances into measurable improvements in clinical services.

Existing workforce shortages and limited capacity for research and innovation risk constraining the NHS's ability to deliver this transformation. Sustained investment in scientific and engineering capability, including research, education, training and workforce development must therefore form part of the solution.

We would encourage the Government to ensure that the independent review fully recognises the contribution of medical physics and clinical engineering, and considers how closer collaboration between the NHS, academia and industry can accelerate innovation, strengthen clinical governance and unlock greater value from investment in AI and emerging technologies.

IPEM stands ready to contribute its expertise to the review and work with Government, NHS leaders and partners to ensure that scientific and technological innovation translates into safe and sustainable improvements in patient care.