Patients call for involvement in decision making to transform NHS

Patients at a reception in Westminster have asked parliamentarians, clinicians, and NHS leaders to involve them in decision making as part of an effort to transform the NHS by effectively implementing the latest medical technology and innovation.

The parliamentary reception was hosted by Steve Brine MP and organised by the Medical Technology Group following the launch of the Government’s inaugural Medical Technology Strategy at the start of the year.

The MTG had previously called on NHS leaders to do more to involve patients in their care, pointing to the ongoing role of medical technology in treating patients at home and allowing them to manage long term conditions.

Two previous reports by the MTG into meaningful patient involvement on the NHS warned that NHS commissioners were potentially overlooking the experiences of patients when it comes to implementing the best available medical technology.

Barbara Harpham, chair of the MTG, said: “Medical technology empowers patients by allowing them to live more fulfilling lives while keeping them out of hospital. Moving to a value-based approach based on the patient experience and providing proper patient representation at ICS board level is essential. It will fully realise the potential of medical technology to tackle the NHS’s problems.

Speaking at the event was Dr Sam Roberts, chief executive of NICE, who said patient experiences of new medical technology were vital for understanding excellence in healthcare. Lord Markham CBE, a minister in the Department for Health and Social Care, also praised the MTG’s work in the area of meaningful patient involvement, stating that it was vital for understanding how to use the best available medical technology on the NHS.

In September the MTG published a report highlighting best practice in meaningful patient involvement in the NHS, and called for the Department of Health and Social Care to publish guidance that requires patient representation on Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

It also argued that the Care Quality Commission should be given more freedom to scrutinise the level of patient involvement being carried out by Integrated Care Systems and ICBs, the bodies responsible for administering regional NHS services.