Shoppers in The Broadway Bradford may have spotted Labour MPs Wes Streeting and Naz Shah in their local Boots recently. 

The MPs were visiting Our Future Health’s clinic in the store, to find out more about the programme and chat with our volunteers.

During his visit, Wes expressed enthusiasm for our programme. “When health problems emerge, we need the right people and the right information to be there to help,” he said. “Our Future Health can help us prevent, detect and treat diseases earlier. 

“The ability to predict diseases like cancer will allow the NHS to give advice on preventing it.”

Speaking from experience

During his visit, Wes spoke about his own cancer story, and how he hopes Our Future Health will support those with a cancer diagnosis in the future. 

“I was very lucky that my cancer was caught early,” he said. “I had a fantastic surgeon and a fantastic hospital – but I saw how flat-out staff were. 

“I want people to know that when something goes wrong the NHS is there for them. When they think about old age, it shouldn’t be something they fear, because they know that the expertise and support is there. 

“We need to think long-term and support health research programmes like Our Future Health, because they will lead to the treatments and technologies of the future.” 

Giving researchers the information needed to get ahead

Labour MP for Bradford West Naz Shah was also in attendance during the visit. A former NHS commissioner with nine years’ experience in the House of Commons, Naz said she recognised the value of Our Future Health. 

“Many people in this country are now living longer than people did in the past,” she said. “Alongside that we have an NHS that is on its knees. We cannot carry on with the system as it is. We need to move towards a more preventative healthcare model, and that can only come from the kind of large-scale database Our Future Health is building. 

“It will provide researchers with the information needed to get ahead of the game and make sure we keep growing our understanding of health. Especially when it comes to the health inequalities that we still see in ethnic minorities today.”

A shared mission

During Wes and Naz’s visit, they spoke with Our Future Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Raghib Ali OBE about the value of collaboration in health research. 

“The support of the Government is vital for us to help deliver our objectives both today, and in the future,” said Raghib.  

“That’s why we’re continuing to build the programme together with the Government, industry, charities and the NHS. 

“By working together, Our Future Health has the potential do something truly groundbreaking in our field. This programme is going to help everyone live longer and healthier lives.” 

‘It’s for a very good cause, and only takes a tiny bit of your time’

19-year-old Xian Wilson is a healthcare assistant from Bradford. She attended her Our Future Health appointment in Bradford on the day of Wes and Naz’s visit. 

“As a healthcare assistant I was immediately interested in Our Future Health,” said Xian. “I care for a lot of people struggling with diabetes. A misconception I hear is that diabetes is just about managing your diet, but it’s about more than that. It can cause bad injuries – people even lose limbs to it. I don’t think people always realise the impact it can have on someone’s quality of life. 

“Our Future Health is a very good cause, and you just have to give a tiny bit of your time – everyone should do it.” 

Carer George Ogbuehi, 31, also joined Our Future Health to support health research. 

“I want to help researchers learn about the way different medications work for different people,” said George. “If taking part helps improve our understanding of this and common illnesses like cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease, that would be a very good thing – especially as I have experienced high blood pressure myself. 

“I’d recommend taking part so we can all live healthier lives and make proactive decisions for the future.”