Transforming the landscape for medtech innovation – COVID-19 and beyond
Neeraj Shah, from the Health Tech Alliance, a coalition of healthtech companies and bodies from across the health system, examines how policymakers can truly transform the landscape for medtech innovation post-pandemic.
The NHS has shown remarkable resilience at a time of great strife and innovation has been at the heart of the fightback. Now, as we slowly approach the much-awaited light at the end of the tunnel, it is imperative we take forward the key learnings of the pandemic and ensure that medtech has a role to play in alleviating the unfortunate patient backlog has emerged.
The Health Tech Alliance brought together a cross-section of its membership to do exactly that – outlining 15 recommendations which we believe will truly transform the landscape for medtech innovation and most importantly deliver a step-change in patient outcomes.
The last few years have witnessed numerous positive initiatives for the industry as a whole. The Long Term Plan set out a vision for more integrated care and recognises the crucial role of research and innovation. Moreover, the establishment of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) will provide the signposting and demand-signalling that innovators so desperately need to navigate an inherently complex healthcare system. Similarly, the healthcare system now has a number of important ‘anchor’ institutions such as the NIHR, a world-leader in translational research, and the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) which provide boots on the ground to aid with regional adoption. Industry also watches with interest as the development of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) continues to take shape. ICSs, in particular, should address the siloed approaches to innovation which have been an unfortunate consequence of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
And yet, anecdotally, the Health Tech Alliance’s members, and industry as a whole, continue to talk about the inherent difficulties they face in getting their products adopted and spread. At our January 2020 ‘Parliament & HealthTech’ Conference, the secretary of state for health and social care acknowledged this – noting that it takes 17 years on average for a new product or service to go from clinical trial stage to mainstream adoption. This is the consequence of a fragmented system with frontline clinicians increasingly stretched but moreover, a general lack of ‘pull’ for medtech innovation even if it is backed by evidence demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and efficacy in enhancing patient outcomes.
So, what can policymakers do to turn the tide? Well first of all, the Government, Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England & Improvement, and Trusts need to take forward the learnings of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trusts adopted innovation at a remarkable pace during the first peak – but these lessons need to be embedded henceforth. Moreover, it is imperative that policymakers ‘level’ with the public about the true extent of the patient backlog. Difficult decisions around the prioritisation of care await but official figures provide only a partial picture as a huge amount of care – elective and chronic - has been disrupted. On top of this, NHSEI should communicate their priority areas of patient care, providing a signal to innovators as to where their support will be needed.
The Health Tech Alliance is also calling for the full implementation of the recent review of diagnostic services by Professor Sir Mike Richards. Amongst other things, it called for the development of new service delivery models through virtual consultations and community diagnostics, and the creation of diagnostic hubs. After all, without robust diagnostic and screening in place, the true extent of the patient backlog will remain unclear.
In 2021, we also hope to see the work of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) fast-tracked, providing clearer signalling to companies and innovators of all sizes. A key milestone in the AAC’s work will be the launch of the MedTech Funding Mandate. Delayed due to COVID-19, the mandate introduces a historic funding requirement for eligible products and takes a small step in delivering some parity for medtech products. As it stands, however, the Mandate applies only to products that deliver in-year cost savings – a particular challenge for medtech products which tend to require substantial upfront investment. We urge policymakers to reconsider this requirement ahead of its expected launch in Spring 2021.
Notwithstanding the pressures that the healthcare system continues to face, it is essential that policymakers finally tackle the ‘adoption challenge’ that holds back vast swathes of innovation. We believe that the fifteen recommendations in our report provides a roadmap for doing this. Indeed, how we address this adoption challenge and deliver innovation to patients post-COVID-19 is the very topic of our upcoming virtual 'Parliament & HealthTech' conference (27th April 2021). The path ahead remains uncertain, but we know that medtech has an important role in getting the healthcare system back on track.