MHRA and Manchester NHS Trust launch medtech sandbox

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has partnered with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) to launch the ‘Manchester Sandbox’. This initiative allows emerging healthcare technologies to be tested and deployed within real NHS settings to generate practical evidence on their safety, effectiveness, and impact on clinical workflows.

The program aims to accelerate the safe adoption of innovations by bringing together developers, clinicians, and regulators. Initial technologies expected to undergo testing include AI-enabled medical devices, specifically tools designed to identify patients at higher risk of complications from long-term conditions to enable earlier intervention.

By testing technologies in day-to-day practice with strict regulatory oversight and guardrails, the sandbox seeks to reduce pressure on NHS services and provide developers with clarity on the evidence required for wider adoption. This initiative builds upon the MHRA’s existing AI Airlock program, which was established to explore regulatory challenges regarding AI as a medical device.