A bold vision for private healthcare

— Vision 2020 will unite Harley Street Medical Area’s top specialists and clinics under a collaborative programme of excellence

— Initial three-year strategy will see a global first: the introduction of revolutionary proton beam cancer therapy treatment

— A dedicated outreach programme to overseas patients from countries including China, the USA and Russia to launch autumn 2017

The Harley Street Medical Area has announced a programme to cement its reputation as the leading global centre for medical treatment.

Vision 2020 outlines the three-year plan for the world-renowned Harley Street Medical Area (HSMA), part of The Howard de Walden Estate. It currently boasts the most concentrated area of medical specialists in the world, all located within less than a mile of each other in central London. The Estate aims to nurture this pioneering hub to fulfil its ambition to become the most innovative, state-of-the-art, global healthcare destination.

Outreach programme
As part of the plan, the HSMA has kicked-off a dedicated outreach programme to London based embassies including, among others, those of Russia, China and the USA, all of which will attend an HSMA forum, which launches in September.

The event, held at the nearby Royal Society of Medicine, will bring together medics as well as embassies, many of which assist their nationals in finding the best private healthcare. Last week, a team from the largest hospital in China—West End Hospital—visited to find out about what is on offer within the HSMA for both patients and fellow practitioners and to discuss ways of collaborating in the future.

The Estate will take an active role in shaping the area’s clinical offering, carefully identifying future areas of medical innovation and securing tenancies with the leading lights in these fields.Areas of special interest include oncology, paediatrics, mental health, diabetes, heart disease and fertility, ensuring that the top professionals pioneering these advancements flourish in the area.

Cutting edge treatment
One of the most cutting-edge treatments to be introduced includes a world-first—proton beam therapy technology developed by top cancer specialists and leading scientists, including Professor Steve Myers, a principal architect of the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. The Advanced Oncotherapy centre will open in 2019 and showcase equipment that will make it much cheaper and easier for NHS trusts to offer this treatment to patients.

The UK is currently ranked second in the world to Canada for quality and value as a global medical tourist destination. However, The Howard de Walden Estate CEO Andrew Hynard, who joined as its new chief executive last autumn, sees no reason why the UK and London’s historical medical district should not be ranked number one in the coming years.

He said: “Our vision for the Harley Street Medical Area is bold and ambitious. The clinicians working here are at the forefront of their fields, developing new medical breakthroughs and techniques to deliver truly outstanding patient care. We are supporting them and our future tenants by providing the very best facilities for their patients.”

5,000 medical experts
In the past four years, the Harley Street Medical Area has attracted 45 new clinics and more high-profile names are set to move in to the area later this year. There are now more than 250 medical specialisms and over 5,000 medical experts all located within a quarter of a mile of each other.

Professor Steve Myers, the chief scientist who has developed the advanced proton beam technology behind the Advanced Oncotherapy clinic, said the system being unveiled at the Harley Street Medical Area will be a world-first. “This technology is going to make proton beam treatment accessible for all due to its low cost to install and maintain—a fraction of the price of standard proton beam systems,” he said.

David Shrimpton, managing director of Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital Specialist Care added: “The Harley Street Medical Area is one of the most esteemed medical areas in the world. We chose to locate our private outpatients and diagnostics centre here to allow for closer collaboration and inter-referral with the community of other specialists in the area, allowing us to continue to provide the best in patient care.”

Co-working spaces
As part of the 2020 vision and to foster collaboration, The Estate also plans to create co-working spaces in the Harley Street Medical Area for research and clinical trials.

Andrew Hynard added: “With the pace of change in medical advances, it has never been more important for the medical community to collaborate to offer the best solutions to their patients and this is at the very the heart of our vision. In the coming months and years we’ll be rolling out a number of initiatives focused around drawing the community even closer together.”