Over 40 UK parliamentarians urge government to protect supply chains

Over 40 MPs and Peers have signed open letter urging the Government to protect the production of medical device, equipment and healthcare products in the UK, or else risk essential items being removed from supply.

The letter, co-ordinated by the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) and signed by parliamentarians across the political divide, warns that health and social care businesses are facing unprecedented operational and regulatory pressures – a result of the pandemic, rampant inflation, and the post-Brexit regulatory transition.

The signees warn that without greater support and regulatory certainty, these pressures will result in medical devices withdrawn from supply and investment being moved out of the UK, with an impact on the quality of care received by patients and jobs and investment leaving Britain to Europe.

The letter calls for four key steps from Government to protect healthcare supply chains, including a review of NHS supply chain frameworks and a formal mechanism to address the relationship between prices and patient care-quality needs.

The intervention follows a recent survey of BHTA members finding that 41% of healthcare manufacturers and suppliers are considering reducing the stock they produce or distribute, limiting the supplies of devices and equipment in the UK. A further 84% of healthcare manufacturers felt that the Government did not fully understand the operational pressures they are facing.

David Stockdale, chief executive of the British Healthcare Trades Association, said: “Anything from a walking stick to a defibrillator, continence pad or hearing aid, can provide the means for patients to live happier, more independent lifestyles. In many cases, these tools and technologies are the first line of defence to save lives and prevent severe health issues. Yet healthcare manufacturers and suppliers are now facing the most difficult operating environment in recent history – one unsuitable for the long-term production of devices, equipment, and mobility aids that patients desperately need. We’re pleased so many parliamentarians understand the urgency of these issues and hope ministers will take immediate action.” 

Grahame Morris MP, Labour MP for Easington, added: “I recently met with representatives of medical device and equipment manufacturers in Parliament, and I appreciate they are a vital yet often overlooked part of our health and social care system. They play a crucial role in ensuring UK patients receive the highest standards of care possible. It’s incredibly worrying to see the pressures suppliers are facing and the apparent lack of action from the Government to protect supply chains in response. I urge Ministers to meet with those impacted and explore how regulators, businesses and the NHS can work together to safeguard the future of British healthcare manufacturing to ensure patients can access the best care available.”

The full letter reads:

“Dear Prime Minister, 

We write to urge you to address the unprecedented pressures faced by UK healthcare businesses involved in the supply of medical devices, equipment and services to the NHS and the social care community. This action is necessary to avoid a direct impact on patients and to prevent jobs and investment from leaving the UK. 

Health and social care businesses continued to supply the NHS through the COVID-19 pandemic, putting in place measures and absorbing additional costs to help the country remain on its feet. However, they now face the most difficult operational and regulatory environment in recent history. Production, distribution, energy, and staffing costs have risen dramatically. As things stand there is no real mechanism in place to address the pressures faced by healthcare suppliers. The British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) fear that without support this will result in businesses going bust, medical devices withdrawn from supply and investment being moved out of the UK.

We, the undersigned, urge the Government to: 

• Review how UK health and social care suppliers must operate and deliver the stable operational and regulatory environment needed to help suppliers deliver critical, existing goods and services and ensure better access to new innovations for patients and clinicians
• Recognise very real increased cost pressures – which are currently absorbed nearly entirely by suppliers and distributors throughout the healthcare supply chain – and provide formal mechanisms to address this based on a better understanding of the relationship between prices and patient care-quality levels 
• Push for a more ambitious approach from MHRA to delivering a world-class regulatory environment for medical devices
• Work with suppliers to develop a more pragmatic approach to NHS supply that benefits both patients and businesses, such as a transparent and accountable framework that allows for two-way negotiation between contractors and NHS Supply Chain.

Yours sincerely,

Afzal Khan MP

Alistair Carmichael MP

Angus MacNeil MP

Baroness Cox

Baroness Foster

Baroness Golding

Baroness Harris of Richmond

Baroness Hooper

Baroness Ludford

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

Baroness Wheatcroft

Christine Jardine MP

Derek Thomas MP

Derek Twigg MP

Dr Lisa Cameron MP

Dr Philippa Whitford MP

Grahame Morris MP

Greg Smith MP

Ian Paisley MP

Jo Gideon MP

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem

Lord Clement-Jones

Lord Freyberg

Lord Giddens

Lord Greenhalgh

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Lord Hylton

Lord Kenneth Morgan

Lord Ranger

Lord Singh of Wimbledon

Lord Thomas of Gresford

Lord Warner

Martyn Day

Mike Amesbury MP

Mohammad Yasin MP

Richard Foord MP

Sally Ann-Hart MP

Sir George Howarth MP

Steve McCabe MP

Virenda Sharma MP

Wera Hobhouse MP”