Why understanding both the NHS and private sector is so important
Hannah Montague BSc MCSP is a former NHS service manager. Now she’s joined the ranks of the private medtech sector. Here she explains why knowledge of both sides of the coin is so important.
Securing the future of our NHS is a primary objective for politicians, commissioners and service directors. Medical technology is placed perfectly to deliver on key improvement measures, with innovations in tech stepping up to fill the gaps in efficiency created by the world’s largest health service employer. I have been personally involved in quality improvement in the NHS, recently moving into the private sector to work on health care improvement from another perspective. It is through the lens of an NHS worker from which I have been inducted into the world of medtech and continue to learn of its vast offerings to health and social care.
Having so recently worked in a patient-facing role, the clinical application of medical technology ignites real excitement. The potential of point of care testing (POCT) in particular; the notion that a laboratory can be brought to the patient. The potential to impact Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is huge, as time to treatment shrinks and containment of infectious disease expediated.
In a trial of point of care testing, Dean Street Express Clinic found that bringing laboratory testing to the patient-side reduced waiting and treatment times, and on average spared one partner exposure to a sexually transmitted infection for every two patients diagnosed. The General Manager of this service concluded that this same model could not only be replicated across the UK but also improve the diagnosis of STIs. A similar point of care test in an acute setting, demonstrated a reduction in the number of days per admission where POCT was used for respiratory symptoms. As an estimated cost per day of a hospital stay is £400 in the United Kingdom, the scale of benefit is considerable.
Recognising the value of a product is vital for industries whose objective is to provide meaningful solutions to the NHS. Although, recognising value is insufficient to imbed new technology without policies and clinical pathways supporting the use of a product. As the NHS can take up to 10 years to adopt new technologies, there is a fundamental barrier to innovation which exists within public health.
The successes and failures of the NHS are well-documented. With regards to new technology, the same issues are raised time and again; a focus on KPIs such as waiting times as opposed to patient outcomes, difficulty upskilling and retaining staff, budgeting allocation which can disincentivise seed investments for long term gain – are among the commonly cited.
Observing the private sector’s understanding of innovation, whilst retaining an NHS mentality has provided useful insight into both worlds. Point of care testing has the potential to revolutionise patient care and generate huge efficiency savings. The NHS is a complex system with a structure biased to achieving short term survival as opposed to long term planning. As a result, private health care is often able to fill the gap between public health and medical technology. This can in turn cause the industry to focus on private health providers, as the NHS lacks the structure to rapidly implement their innovations.
Medical technology companies have a responsibility to drive and inspire solutions, which health care can then respond to as it sees fit. The enthusiasm in the industry is tangible, innovative systems are being generated which could be immediately implemented to improve patient outcomes and create efficiency savings. The reality of public health is such that immediate uptake is not feasible, and responsiveness to new technologies is an ongoing challenge. The future of the NHS may be uncertain, but within the system are people waiting to receive all that medtech has to offer. Perhaps through true partnerships with the people as opposed to “the system” of the NHS, barriers to innovations in public health could be reduced.