by Chris Hudson, Roche Diagnostics, December 2021
“The Oxford AHSN has been absolutely pivotal for what has actually happened for transforming pre-eclampsia testing in the UK.
“At the end of 2018 we had just one site using the PlGF test – that was Oxford. The difference in the last three years has been the AAC/RUP/ITP funding. Over 80 sites are now using it in England – and adoption is taking place in Wales and Scotland as well.
“The difference is somebody believed in what we were doing and supported us all the way through it – and that was the Oxford AHSN.
“The AHSN Network has been absolutely core to delivering on that expansion into the overall network throughout England, and into other parts of the country as well. Without that support it would not have happened.
“This year 40,000 women benefited from the test and the NHS has saved approximately £4 million.
“During the time of Covid it was critical to have such a test available. Vulnerable women, perhaps not vaccinated, didn’t have to go into hospital.
“It would not have happened without the trust and the partnership that we have had with the AHSNs, and with Oxford in particular. That is a critical part of how we deliver better and transform healthcare in this country.
“The information from Oxford is now used around the world. It is having a bigger societal impact than any of us could perhaps have ever dreamed of.
“We have had a very positive experience. We work well with the team in Oxford and we work well with all the AHSN Network.”