Dr Owain Rhys Hughes, surgeon and founder of Cinapsis, explains why tighter regulatory frameworks are needed before another wave of medtech is embraced.
For millennia, medical practice has served to showcase society’s most innovative and cutting-edge technologies. In the 19th century it was anaesthesia and stethoscopes. In the 20th century came antibiotics, insulin, and IVF. So far, the 21st century has brought us game-changing developments such as robotic surgery, gene therapy and COVID vaccinations. But where there is innovation, there is also often an element of risk.
David Altabev
Unless rigorous checks and balances are put into place and consistently upheld - and healthtechs with dubious ethics rooted out - new medical technologies can pose a threat to the health and safety of patients and clinicians. This is why new treatments and technologies are subject to security assessments, trials and certification checks. But as a spate of new privately funded health technologies come to market - many prioritising profit over NHS patients - it’s becoming clear that we need new frameworks to ensure these start-up companies have the NHS’s best interests at heart.
Despite being used in healthcare settings, some health tech companies largely self-regulate when it comes to their safety, security and commitment to the NHS.
Elsewhere, data breaches (which major player Babylon has fallen prey to on a number of occasions) offer a stark snapshot of what can happen when sensitive NHS patient information is not afforded adequate protection. Not only must we ensure that healthtech providers are held to account when it comes to safety and security, we must also prioritise health solutions that are borne out of - and committed to - building a better future for the NHS.
We cannot afford to foster a healthtech Wild West, where tech solutions with NHS backing eventually take their business overseas; and where patient data is taken for granted or falls into the wrong hands. Instead, we should champion companies that are here to stay with safe and secure solutions that share the same passion and values as the NHS. We need to secure the future of healthtech in the UK by demonstrating that we put the NHS first. We can start with new frameworks that support decision makers to invest wisely in solutions that come from a place of passion, understanding and safety, rather than profit.
To achieve this, leaders within the government and NHS must clearly set out the parameters by which healthtechs can safely and fairly operate in the UK. All healthtech companies operating in the UK must be held up to the highest standards of scrutiny and stringent checks before being rolled out across communities and hospitals. We must learn to recognise those companies who may not be here to stay; and address the very real risks posed by companies focusing on profit, inadequate regulation and chasing international buyouts. Otherwise, patients and clinicians could lose faith in the UK’s healthtech sector altogether.
New regulatory frameworks could help the NHS find their genuine advocates, and support decision-makers to ensure any new digital transformation investments are safe, savvy, and sustainable. Before the NHS spends money on medtech that’s here today, gone tomorrow, it must recognise that not all health techs are created equal; and prioritise solutions and companies that take the NHS’s funding and future seriously.
Tightening up the healthtech ecosystem isn’t going to be popular amongst those just looking to make a quick buck, but it’s something that those of us who truly want the best for patients, healthcare workers and the NHS will be delighted to see. As healthtech providers we must work together to create watertight regulatory frameworks and a strong culture of passion and support for the NHS, to help validate, protect and secure the NHS’s investment in new solutions. Done right, these new priorities could lay the solid foundations on which we can build a better health service: one that embraces tech innovation that puts the NHS and its patients first.
