Project Name: Novartis Re-imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project (“NRCP CWP”)

Project Summary:

The Reimagining Care Pathways CWP is a service offered by Novartis, which comprises a series of interviews and workshops, alongside the option of including a survey to engage a broader set of stakeholders (this will be determined during the first milestone meeting), with the aim of providing pathway mapping support to the CW Partner (healthcare and service teams).

This service is designed to support NHS service teams in mapping and analysing their current care pathways—specifically within the MS service—to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.

The outcome will be a detailed Pathway Map Report highlighting service constraints and unmet needs. While this project runs independently of an existing CWP focused on MS pharmacist support, it complements broader NHS goals such as the Long Term Plan and Outpatient Transformation Programme.

Expected Benefits:

Anticipated Benefits for Patients:

  • Improvement of clinical pathways which may result in potentially fewer visits and shorter waiting times due to a more efficient clinical pathway.
  • Faster and more equitable access to the complete range of NICE approved treatment options.
  • Quality care improvements aligned to established best practices.

Anticipated Benefits for the Organisation(s):

  • Improved understanding of the current service pathway, and associated efficiencies and inefficiencies. Potential to lead to solutions which could allow the CW Partner’s organisation to enhance both patient experience and outcomes.

Anticipated benefits for Novartis:

  • Understanding of possible opportunities to partner with the CW Partner to enhance patient outcomes and experience. Better understanding of patients,’ carers and customers’ needs, which may inform future service offerings, and synergies between needs of the customer and value of Novartis offerings.
     

Start Date & Duration: September 2025, 16 weeks

FA-11488662 | August 2025

Project Name: Re‑Imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project – Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (Multiple Sclerosis Service)

Organisation(s): Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited (“Novartis”) and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (“CW Partner”)

Completion Date: February 2026

Outcomes Summary: 

The Re‑Imagining Care Pathways Collaborative Working Project undertaken with Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust focused on the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) service. The project aimed to develop a shared, end‑to‑end understanding of the current MS patient pathway, identify operational pinch points, and agree practical, service‑led opportunities to improve efficiency, coordination, and staff experience.

Through structured stakeholder interviews and a facilitated multidisciplinary pathway mapping workshop, the project produced a validated current‑state pathway map and a set of prioritised considerations to support pathway resilience and future service development.

Key Project Outcomes Data: 

  • Structured stakeholder interviews conducted across clinical, pharmacy, nursing and administrative roles
  • One multidisciplinary pathway mapping workshop delivered
  • One validated end-to-end‑ Royal Free MS patient pathway map produced
  • Three cross‑cutting service themes identified with associated short‑, medium and ‑longer-term‑ considerations


The project enabled the Royal Free MS service to establish a single, agreed view of the current pathway and its operational dependencies. Stakeholders identified three principal themes impacting service efficiency and sustainability:

  • Administrative burden on clinical teams, with significant volumes of non‑clinical activity undertaken by MS nurses and pharmacists.
  • Capacity related‑ delays at key points in referral, diagnostics and treatment initiation, driven primarily by system constraints rather than pathway design.
  • Limited suitability of existing digital solutions for MS care, reinforcing the need for pragmatic, integrated approaches aligned to current systems.

Outcomes:

The validated pathway map and final report provide an evidence base to support internal prioritisation, workforce planning discussions and the development of business cases for administrative and coordination support, with ownership retained by the Trust.

Outcomes for patients:
While no patient level data was collected, stakeholders identified opportunities to improve patient experience through clearer signposting, improved consistency of communication, and more streamlined ‑follow-up processes. These improvements are intended to enhance transparency, reduce unnecessary delays, and support a more predictable care journey‑.

Outcomes for Novartis:
The project enabled Novartis to support the CW Partner through structured pathway mapping methodology, facilitation and service design expertise. Insights generated contribute to Novartis’ understanding of operational challenges within MS services and may inform the design of future, non‑promotional service support aligned to NHS priorities.

Conclusion: 

The Royal Free MS Pathway Mapping project successfully delivered a validated current‑state pathway map and a set of locally agreed, service‑led considerations focused on administrative efficiency, capacity constraints and pragmatic use of digital solutions. The outputs are owned by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and are intended to support local decision‑making, service improvement and longer‑term workforce and pathway planning.

FA-11673100 | May 2026