Healthcare Science Week Day 5
On day 5 on Healthcare Science week, we are delighted to share an article from Dr Sarah Bant, Principal Clinical Scientist in Audiology and AHCS Healthcare Science National Clinical Lead for Wales, who shares a forward look to the future of Healthcare Science.
The Future of Healthcare Science
It is an exciting time to be in healthcare science…
A bold statement perhaps, but some readers will have heard me say this in Wales for a few years now. When Professor Brendan Cooper, past president of AHCS, spoke at Healthcare Science Cymru 2023 he proclaimed that Wales felt like hope. Now those engaged with the Academy of Healthcare Science are feeling the same across the UK.
We are back on the agendas of regulatory change: moving towards access to patient group directions, a way for professions such as ours to give prescriptions to a clear protocol, and mandatory registration for all. We are more united than ever before across all our professions, whilst valuing the key identity of each profession.
What will the future look like?
The Wales Healthcare Science Network were asked to describe the future in January 2025. With representatives from all our healthcare science professions, as well as all 9 health boards and trusts, they all brought their unique perspectives. But together their vision was unified:
Prevention as the norm – including fully informed patients and population managing their conditions through accessible and evidence-based intelligence and advice, healthcare professionals guiding the information that is available rather than always needed to be those delivering the information also.
Diagnostics and treatment at home – diagnostics, treatment and care not only closer to home, but in your home, such as chemotherapy in your armchair and physiological monitoring through wearables. Enabled by innovative healthcare science professionals to become a reality, and then both the technological oversight and further strategic direction led by our profession.
Data and digital integrated throughout – our data and digitally proficient technical and scientific workforce will be essential when AI is integrated in the way that statistical models already are, with our own services making full use of that advances available for efficient working and also leading and enabling that change across whole systems.
Healthcare science-led provision locally and regionally – our highly specialist advanced and consultant workforce will lead diagnostic and scientific rehabilitation services with greater autonomy and responsibility. Digitisation will enable distance supervision for complex cases, reporting shared across regions, and peer review and shared reflection to be the norm.
Scientists as equal partners in world – leading highly specialist innovation and specialist provision we will work alongside medical, academic and industry partners as equals, bring our specialist clinical expertise and scientific skills and mindsets to continue the pace, constantly bringing the future to today.
How will we get there?
In some services and professions, we are already seeing elements in place, glimmers of the future in the now. Genomics and precision medicine are progressing fast, advanced diagnostics and treatments are being applied to more conditions, technology that only became Bluetooth enabled 5 years ago is now becoming AI enabled too. Our skills and leadership in innovation through all this is bringing the NHS of the future into being today!
Catalysts include our training programmes and postgraduate Clinical Scientist registration and doctoral Consultant Clinical Scientist registration – innovation and research skills built into the fabric of our career pathways at all levels. Maximising the interest and engagement from not only trainees but all professionals completing the equivalence routes.
The difference over the next 10years will be a quickening of pace, innovations developed in one area, professionally or geographically, then needs first adopters to pick up and apply – some will fit directly, other will need local reflection and adaption, others will draw from the learning to a different solution. The closer we work and share as a whole profession together, the easier it is to draw evidence, learning and approaches from one area to another.
What can I do?
If you are coming into the profession at this time – take full responsibility for your learning. You are starting at a time when the experience of those around you is vital to absorb and apply to the now, to your essential role in the NHS. Your values and ability to reflect and improve is essential, and our patients will be very soon in your hands for you to apply those values to providing safe care.
You are also bringing an enhanced set of skills that will be essential in the future – your natural digital skills will combine with a need for understanding of data, and ethical and rigorous application. It will be your insight and your commitment to the patients and to the NHS in the future that will be key to us delivering this vision.
For those that are the most experienced – mentor, advise and coach us. Your knowledge of systems tried and tested approaches, application of rigour and wholescale change is vital.
And for the rest of us in between, join together with colleagues across healthcare science to share that sense of hope. Get involved with your professional body groups and networks. Build peer networks such as heads of service groups, cross-disciplinary interest groups, creating goals and working towards them together. If you are not feeling inspired, find those of us with the passion for the changes that are happening.
Most important of all, don’t forget to look after yourselves – rest and recharge, reach out for coaching, seek partners and coworkers, and learn from others, equally sharing your own learning forwards.
Happy healthcare science week 2026!
I hope you have enjoyed the blog series from the AHCS Clinical Leads this week, and please do engage with us through LinkedIn. We are all truly proud of the difference you are making in the NHS and across the whole UK population. This profession is essential now and will continue to be in the future world – thank you for the part that you play in this.
Our sincere thanks to all of our Healthcare Science National Clinical Leads for sharing 5 fantastic articles this week!
