The Famous Five: why accelerators need to turn the spotlight on MedTech

This year has been an interesting one for NHS innovators. Just recently I attended the launch of the latest cohort of startups on the DigitalHealth.London accelerator, and I was struck by how much this type of event has grown.

When I first started writing about digital health back in 2014, I remember thinking how hard it was to get NHS stakeholders in the same room as the ideas people. Now, you can’t keep them away.

Perhaps it’s because the accelerator/incubator model is now time-tested and proven to work. Initiatives like DigitalHealth.London are actually delivering on their promises – both to startups and to the health and care system.

The London launch was just one of five accelerators announced across the UK on the same day, signalling a more co-ordinated approach. There are dozens of these projects all over the UK, but the AHSN has thrown its weight behind five key regions: London, Manchester, the South West, East Midlands, and Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Prior to the establishment of the five networks, DigitalHealth.London has spent the past two years successfully nurturing young companies and getting them access to the NHS – with many still on the road. The 60 companies previously enrolled in London have, I’m told, collectively saved the NHS about £50 million in various tech-related efficiencies.

These accelerators will be great for digital pioneers. They’ll get training, R&D support and product development, networking opportunities, and, perhaps most valuable of all, access to clinicians – the very people who want and need them to succeed the most.

As you can probably tell if you’re reading this – I really like accelerators. I like the way a creative vibe permeates through (often very dry) subject matters of approvals and adoption – inevitable talking points among these meetings. The community spirit is always really strong in the room at these events, there’s nothing competitive about it, and nothing particularly commercial either.

I do, however, have one nagging little criticism of the UK’s health accelerator landscape: namely, the focus seems to be almost exclusively on digital software, rather than connected hardware. I can see that adoption is, arguably, easier to achieve with smartphone apps. They’re a low-cost investment, the platforms are largely in place and they generally don’t require much re-training. Medical devices on the other hand are costly to reimburse, can cause interoperability headaches, and can require specialist training. But surely all of the above factor as good reasons for a renewed focus on initiatives for startups in the med-device space.

It’s been well documented that the new secretary of state for health is a huge advocate for the use of better tech, and he’s been warmly received amongst the digital community. But will he have anything to offer more traditional medtech innovators? The growing infrastructure around the five aforementioned regions is a positive start, but there needs to be more access for those with a great idea for a new device.