As the NHS faces another winter of unprecedented pressures, leading scientific organisations The Physiological Society and PHG Foundation, release a new report that proposes an innovative, data-driven solution aimed at transforming healthcare delivery: the ‘Physiology Passport’.
In today’s ageing society, people are spending longer periods of their later life in ill health. The report calls for a personalised and preventative approach to enable timely interventions, so people will be treated early and kept healthier. This would reduce the pressure and long-term costs for healthcare systems tackling the increased burden of treating non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, among the UK’s ageing population.
This proactive approach would be provided through a concept named the ‘Physiology Passport’. This would build on existing patient records and track and collect all health data (such as blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and blood sugar levels) for an individual over their lifetime, which would all be stored in their personalised health record. It is hoped that in the future combining these data with information from other sources, such as wearables and medical tests, it will be possible to build a detailed picture of a person’s health. Aiming to prevent the onset, progression and recurrence of disease should lower the need for intensive treatments and help to create more resilient healthcare systems.
The idea is proposed in a report ‘Physiology Passport: Putting personalised prevention at the heart of resilient health systems’ being launched in the Houses of Parliament today (Tuesday 14 January). By bringing physiology experts together with policy makers in Parliament the event and supporting report aims to shape new health policies for disease prevention and early detection for the UK Government. The Physiological Society recommends that the lessons from the ‘Physiology Passport’ should be incorporated into the UK Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. The new long-term plan being announced this spring, aims to build an NHS fit for the future by shifting from hospital to community via new neighbourhood health centres, shifting from analogue to digital for NHS patient health records and information, and moving from sickness to prevention.
The Physiology Passport relies on precision medicine, a healthcare approach that could help doctors and researchers more accurately predict treatment and prevention strategies for an individual, by considering the individual’s physiology, as well as their environmental, lifestyle, geographical and cultural background. An integrative and physiology-led personalised medicine approach could optimise public health outcomes by offering a healthcare service that is tailor made to an individual’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
The aim is to improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare system pressures, and help individuals lead healthier lives by working to:
- Detect health changes early by identifying deviations from an individual’s normal baseline.
- Empower individuals to manage their own health through personalised insights and preventive strategies.
- Support healthcare providers in making informed, tailored decisions for treatment and prevention.
- Enable proactive care by focusing on preventing illness rather than just treating diseases.
The report sets out a series of recommendations for government, researchers and funders. These include shifting the healthcare model from reactive disease management to proactive prevention, establishing a unified health data infrastructure, adopting digital health innovations and implementing community-based care models.
Dariel Burdass, Chief Executive of The Physiological Society, said:
“The NHS is under immense pressure, and it’s clear that we need more proactive and integrated solutions to healthcare that shifts the focus from treating illnesses to preventing them. The proposed Physiology Passport would put an individual’s physiological data at the heart of the health system, enabling earlier detection, personalised care, and equitable access to prevention strategies. Tackling the increased burden of treating non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes will reduce long-term costs on the NHS. By integrating and building on this approach into existing systems, we can not only alleviate strain on the NHS but also empower individuals to take control of their health and improve outcomes across the UK.”
Writing in the foreword of the report, Professor Dame Melanie Welham, Former Executive Chair of the BBRSC, said:
“It is clear that innovative strategies aimed at improving health, with an emphasis on prevention, will be needed to alleviate pressures on health systems across the UK, complementing strong public health interventions. It is against this backdrop that The Physiological Society has brought together expert stakeholders from academic, clinical and funding backgrounds to explore the contribution that can be made by physiology research, translation and innovation to personalised prevention.”
Dr Laura Blackburn, Head of Science, PHG Foundation, said:
“While molecular biomarkers such as genetics have proved valuable in the management of many diseases, the dynamic information provided by many physiological biomarkers will complement, enhance and provide context to genetic information. The Physiology Passport is a unique opportunity to integrate varied and diverse biomarkers, defined characteristics that indicate biological processes in health and disease, to support personalised prevention.”
Notes to editors:
The report is available to download here: physoc.org/PhysiologyPassport
Launch event:
The report will be launched in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 14 January as part of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee meeting taking place from 17:15 to 19:30 GMT
Interviews/comments
Interviews can be arranged through The Physiological Society:
Alanna Orpen, Senior Communications Officer
aorpen@physoc.org | press@physoc.org
The Physiological Society
The Physiological Society has been at the forefront of science for 150 years and is Europe’s largest network of physiologists. It supports physiologists by organising world-class conferences and offering grants for research and also publishes the latest developments across its family of journals The Journal of Physiology, Experimental Physiology, The Journal of Nutritional Physiology, The Journal of Precision Medicine: Health and Disease and Physiological Reports. physoc.org
PHG Foundation
The PHG Foundation is an independent think tank with a special focus on how genomics and other emerging health technologies can provide more effective, personalised healthcare and deliver improvements in health for patients and citizens. We are linked exempt charity of the University of Cambridge.