Government gives wound care industry backing with “Sector Deal”

The wound care industry has received backing with a “Sector Deal” which backs it through support for the development and uptake of digital clinical decision-making tools.

The industry employs 4,775 employees in the wound care sector, which is part of the wider healthtech industry – the largest employer in life sciences.

The deal involves industry, the AHSN network and the NHS working together, with government commitments to improve innovation adoption, to reduce variation and improve patient outcomes in wound care treatment. This is the Government’s second wave of deals from 2017’s Life Science Industrial Strategy.

ABHI CEO Peter Ellingworth said: “I am pleased to see this significant backing of our sector. Healthtech products and services deliver vital improvements to patient care and enable a more efficient healthcare system. As such, we are working with Government to ensure that the agreement encapsulates a broad range of wound care and digital companies, whilst exploring how this approach to collaborative working can be applied to other areas of our industry. These partnerships will deliver value across the whole health system, and NHS procurement decisions must recognise that, rather than simply focusing on achieving lowest price.”

The wound care deal is an important step for the health technology sector, with the announcement well-placed to provide the framework for future agreements.

Chair of the AHSN Network, Seamus O’Neill added: “The AHSN Network will be working with the NHS and the wound care industry as part of the Office for Life Sciences Industrial Strategy. The AHSN has expertise in the Quality Improvement initiatives required to deliver sustained improvements in outcomes across the NHS. Partnership with industry colleagues will help us to do more, faster. The consortium will be a vehicle for exploring how the use of digital clinical decision support tools, can reduce variation in wound care, maximise the impact of resources and improve patient outcomes.”