Academic Review 2024

50 ST EDWARD’S, OXFORD

Does personalised medicine hold the potential to be further integrated into the NHS? As explored throughout this essay, it is evident that there are numerous pros and cons that come with the further implementation of personalised medicine in the NHS. It is an undisputed fact that medicine which is specifically tailored to the patient comes with a multitude of benefits and is undoubtedly much more effective than a traditional, ‘one size fits all’ approach. There are countless advantages that patients receive through personalised medicine and it is clear that these benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages. Furthermore, cons such as the ethical concerns can be reduced – stricter laws can be put in place to control any attempts to use genomics in order to move towards eugenics. Moreover, high costs for the technology needed to create personalised medicines may currently be an issue, but as seen through the rapid reduction in the cost of mapping a human genome and as technology and science advance even further, the cost of the technology required will decrease significantly, making the pursuit of personalised medicine even more worthwhile than it already is. It would be a wasted opportunity not to pursue genomics further, as it is evident that advancements in personalised medicine are the best way for the NHS to move forward. The future of healthcare in the UK will rely heavily on personalised medicine. Some may argue that the degree of the integration of personalised

medicine into the NHS is limited due to the barriers regarding patient data, however these issues can be mostly overcome with some compromises that the public must be willing to make. The public must trust the NHS and healthcare workers to prioritise their best interests. But this does not mean that people should not be cautious and mindful of where the data they provide goes, and therefore better regulations could be put in place to protect data and keep sensitive information private. It can be predicted that future advancements of personalised medicine will continue to provide the NHS with effective new treatments for many currently incurable diseases, will reduce unwanted side effects of many drugs and enable healthcare to focus primarily on prevention, thus increasing life expectancy in the UK. In summary, although it is difficult to come to a definitive decision as there is a huge amount of research and contrasting opinions regarding personalised medicine, this essay clearly demonstrates that personalised medicine holds great potential and definitely should be integrated and used further within the NHS and become an integral part of our healthcare system.

“ ...personalised medicine holds great potential and definitely should be integrated and used further within the NHS... ”