“In the next few years the UK could establish itself more firmly as in leader in health and life sciences or it could begin to lose that status for ever. The UK is a global power in health. It has world class universities and research, is a global leader in health policy and international development, has strong life sciences industries, a vibrant and diverse not-for-profit sector and exercises profound influence on health services globally. However, a combination of external competition, internal policy, and poor coordination could damage all of these assets – particularly if the UK fails to respond to changing power and perspectives across the world. We argue here that the UK should aim to strengthen its position as a global leader in health working in partnership with others to improve health globally. This will require new strategies for creating mutually beneficial partnerships globally and greater alignment internally between the four sectors of academia, commerce, government and the not-for-profit sector; as well as the integration of health into foreign policy. This approach will bring great benefits to the UK and to the world.”

• The report [Download the Full Report] has been prepared by researchers from the London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine and describes the UK’s footprint on health globally across the four sectors of academia, government, commerce and not-for-profit activity and shows that the UK plays a leading role in each sector. Its global contribution is second only to the US which it surpasses in some areas. Professor Baron Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said: “This report shows how the UK is now leading the way in many aspects of global health and development, particularly in research and innovation, partnership with commercial and not-for-profit sectors, universal health coverage and emergency response. However, there are many challenges ahead, and barriers including immigration restrictions on health professionals, researchers and postgraduate students. The government needs to take a strategic, coordinated approach to address these, to ensure that we can build on the UK’s unique expertise and realise the opportunities for the UK economy and global influence, and our shared purpose improving health worldwide.”