NAVIGATE

The NHS Genomics Medicine Service (GMS) was launched in 2018 to support equitable access to genomics across the NHS in England and provide standardised care across the population. As of 2024, the NHS GMS has delivered over 810,000 genomic tests, which in cancer medicine, serves as a diagnostic tool to support clinical decisions that lead to improved outcomes.¹ While the potential to transform patient outcomes with genomic testing is massive, the road to embedding genomics in the NHS is not without its hurdles.

In this episode, we explore the NHS GMS in England — its core structure, its ambition, and what it aims to deliver for patients and clinicians. Merck’s Market Access Director Tina Alexopoulos sat down with Dr Nirupa Murugaesu, Consultant Oncologist at Guys’ & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Principal Clinician for Cancer Genomics at Genomics England, and Dr Lisa Wilde, former Director of Research, Policy & Influencing at Bowel Cancer UK,  to deep dive into the current operational challenges, root causes and potential solutions, and ultimately the vision for an NHS where genomic testing is integrated into routine care – and what this means for patients.

UK-NONO-00177 | May 2026

¹ NHS England, The NHS Genomic Medicine Service: achievements in 2024, 6^th February 2025

This podcast is initiated, organised and funded by Merck Serono Ltd. Merck Serono Ltd is a pharmaceutical company.

Nearly 80% of clinical trials fail to adequately recruit participants on proposed timelines negatively impacting patient access to new treatments[i]. Patient recruitment in clinical trials is imperative for a successful study and delays, or low participant numbers, can prevent patients accessing the newest and most innovative treatments.

In this episode our UK & ROI Director of Market Access, Pricing and Government & Public Affairs, Tina Alexopoulos, sat down with Lesley Caldow, Head of In-Country Study Operations at Merck UK & ROI, Sharon Brenan, Director of Policy and External Affairs at National Voices, and Dr Mohini Varughese, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Royal Devon University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor for the University of Exeter, to discuss the barriers patients face in accessing clinical trials, whether these are practical, attitudinal, or communicable, and how these can be overcome.

UI-NONO-00532 | February 2025

 

 

[i] Perspectives in Clinical Research,Recruitment and retention of participants in clinical studies: Critical issues and challenges - PMC , accessed December 2024

In the UK today there are around 130,000 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and nearly 7,000 individuals are diagnosed with this neurological condition each year.*  The impact of MS varies significantly meaning effective care is reliant upon a diverse services landscape with access to multi-disciplinary teams, coordinated care, and choices in treatment. With the establishment last year of 42 new Integrated Care Systems which are gradually assuming responsibility for commissioning MS services, this landscape is evolving.

Check out the latest NAVIGATE episode where our Director of Market Access, Pricing and Government Affairs, Amerah Amin, sits down with Georgina Carr, CEO of the Neurological Alliance, and David Martin, CEO of the MS Trust, to discuss this evolution and gain their perspectives on how these changes can be harnessed to improve the UK’s MS services.

 

*MS Society, MS in the UK, accessed July 2023

In May this year, NHS England set out their Roadmap for integrating specialised services within ICSs, which set out a blueprint for how the commissioning of specialised services will evolve in England over the coming years to help deliver more joined up, high quality and equal care for patients.

During this special episode of Merck’s navigate podcast, our Market Access & Government Affairs director, Amerah Amin was delighted to talk to Malcolm Qualie, who was previously Medicines Lead for Specialised Services at NHS England, to discuss the future of specialised services in more detail. Amerah virtually sat down with Malcolm to discuss NHS England’s roadmap for specialised services, the opportunities & challenges of integrating these services and what the future of specialised services look like to deliver on these plans.

Personalised medicine is one of the most exciting areas of healthcare, yet we know it can also be complex. That’s why Merck’s latest episode of NAVIGATE focuses on providing clarity and demystifying what personalised medicine is all about. If you’ve ever been curious about what personalised medicines could mean for patients and the NHS, then be sure to listen in to our latest episode of NAVIGATE!

In this episode, our Market Access director, Amerah Amin, was delighted to talk to Rachel Butler, Consultant Clinical Scientist and Chief Operating Officer at the North Thames Genomic Laboratory Hub and Dr Alastair Greystoke, Honorary Medical Oncologist at Newcastle’s Northern Centre for Cancer Care. Amerah virtually sat down with Rachel and Alastair to discuss what the priorities, challenges and opportunities are to deliver personalised medicine in the NHS.

The NAVIGATE podcast has been created and organised by Merck to help you better navigate and understand the evolving landscape of the UK's national health system. In this episode, Amerah Amin, Merck’s Market Access Director sits down with Anusha Patel, regional home care lead for the East Midlands and High-Cost Pharmacist at Kettering General Hospital, and Conor Burke, CEO of Urgent Health UK to discuss the priorities and challenges facing the NHS in 2022.

Wondering what the changing NHS landscape could mean for patients, services, and clinical pathways? Merck UK & Ireland are excited to announce their new podcast series, NAVIGATE!

NAVIGATE aims to educate listeners on the changing UK healthcare landscape and provide NHS stakeholders with recommendations on how they can support the optimal delivery of care in the fast-emerging integrated care landscape.

Throughout the series we will be joined by leading experts from across the NHS to explore views on how care is evolving across a range of conditions - from cancer to neurology services.

In our first episode we are delighted to talk to Julie Riley, Director of Operations for Neurology at the Walton Centre and Dr Mark Cossburn, Consultant Neurologist at North Bristol NHS Trust. We sit down (virtually) with Julie and Mark to discuss how the delivery of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) services could evolve in the future.