Within Labour’s ‘5 missions for a better Britain: Build an NHS fit for the future’ release, the party stated: ‘Harnessing the latest technological advancements can put patients, in partnership with the NHS, in control of their own healthcare, make the most of staff’s talent and time, and make the NHS more efficient for the taxpayer. Britain has enormous advantages when it comes to adopting technology—we have a world-class life sciences sector, the best university system in Europe and as a system that serves tens of millions, the NHS dataset is unique. But we have not had the leadership or systems needed to take advantage of these strengths, and we are struggling to adopt the latest technologies and innovations fast enough.’
Within their mission plan, the party states they aim to bring a ‘revolution in technology’ for the sector. Stating: ‘The explosion of innovation in health technology is where we have the opportunity to create a step change in people’s health. The incredible advances of today would have been unimaginable 30 years ago and could enable the NHS to deliver truly personalised medicine, improve efficiency and back-office functions, reduce administrative burdens on staff, and speed up care. Take artificial intelligence (AI). Using newly developed AI to interpret chest X-rays can save 15% of a radiologists’ workload, 70% of outsourcing costs and, when combined with interpretation by a consultant radiologist, can reduce missed lung cancer cases by 60% – with life-saving implications. Or take genomic medicine. Today, genomic screening can spot pre-disposition to big killers like cancer or heart disease in babies, diagnose rare diseases, and help personalise treatments. If every family could choose to screen their baby’s genetic information, they’d be empowered to give their child the healthiest start in life. There is no shortage of exciting innovation in UK universities and research centres. But the NHS is being left behind, because adoption and spread of new technology is notoriously slow and uptake is patchy, resulting in a postcode lottery for patients.
Continuing: ‘There have been countless reviews to describe what’s wrong; we now need an active plan for change. Whilst we won’t shy away from ambition, we also acknowledge that history shows us getting data and innovation right is not easy. We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past that have seen unnecessary bureaucracy trump common sense, or end up with too much micromanagement from the centre. Instead, we intend to work collaboratively across sectors to develop an approach that delivers for patients.’
I asked two experts for their insights on what they expect from a Labour government in the HealthTech space in the coming years.
Luke Blaney, Managing Director at ARx
Whether it be from a Labour government, or a Conservative government, HealthTech companies, and 3rd party HealthTech consultancies like ours have wanted to see two main things from the UK government for some time.
The first, is tougher regulation, and more safety measures for new products entering the market. There are always risks with any new product in this field. With any commercial enterprise it is always a perpetual balancing act between keeping a business viable, and keeping patients safe.
It has been tabled that (as with Pharmaceuticals) a professional QP (Qualified Person) for batch sign off (or product sign off) be implemented, to ensure there is a responsibility within the Quality Assurance function to ensure complete compliance with regulations and reduce any safety concerns patients may have. It also puts a stronger accountability back at the businesses doorsteps.
Truthfully, I’m not sure of the truth of this story, but I’ve heard it several times across the Medical Device industry, of a cheaper brand of mobility aid (similar to, but not, the Zimmer Frame). The company that manufactured the device changed the material of the screws, in order to save about £0.40p per frame. Sadly, the new material used was of poorer quality, and these frames had to be recalled as when used repeatedly the screws would break and the frame would collapse.
If true, this is exactly the type of thing that higher regulation, and more accountability would prevent happening again.
The second change that HealthTech companies want to see from a labour government, as always, is more funding in the sector.
Specifically, they are looking for higher funding within startup companies that are patient centric and focussed on providing life-saving, or life altering experiences for patients.
This doesn’t specifically have to be focussed on end user products only (things that the patient literally sees or uses) but can be on things like diagnostic tools that prevent the patient finding themselves in more pain or discomfort because of incorrect treatment, or even for personalised medicines to prevent patients reacting to negative combinations of drugs.
If Labour could put more funding into the places that matter and aim for significant increases in regulation for the products already on the market and still in production, they would go a long way to winning over these HealthTech companies.
Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram, Founder andt CEO of Proximie
While the previous UK Government implemented several initiatives to drive the adoption of HealthTech, there are several key areas where the new administration could have a substantial impact.
Firstly, capital investment dedicated to improving technology usage must increase. Previously announced measures – such as the £30 million earmarked for rolling out innovative technology – are a good start, but significantly more funding is required. We need the healthcare system to have the required resources to effectively utilise developing technologies and improve the core technology systems available.
Secondly, the entire NHS should be incentivised to embrace the power of data analytics. Data is found everywhere across healthcare. Globally, we expect over 10 trillion gigabytes of healthcare data by the end of next year – which has the potential to improve productivity, patient outcomes, and medical technology innovation – if necessary decisions are taken allowing HealthTechs to flourish.
At a technical level, the new Government should mandate standardised data collection processes. Currently the healthcare system collects vast amounts of data, but it is fragmented, existing in isolation – reducing its usefulness. A standardised collection process would make data impactful and drive improvements.
Similarly, new tech infrastructure should be designed with interoperability in-mind – again to break down siloes. For example, the Government should ensure the multitude of devices found in surgical operating rooms can all communicate and share data effectively. This would vastly improve the quantity and quality of data collected, providing an in-depth view of treatments pathways, care processes, and workflows. Healthcare teams could then use outputs to drive productivity and / or share surgical techniques; reducing waiting lists and improving patient outcomes.
Finally, the Government needs to invest in people – the surgeons, doctors, nurses, managers and administrative staff – and give them the tools to embrace technological innovation.
While many staff are aware of innovative technologies, a fundamental gap persists between awareness and adoption. Nearly half of healthcare teams have not adopted analytics for measuring surgical performance, while 70% of organisations still rely on traditional manual tools to analyse data.
If this gap can be overcome great benefits will flow; lower readmission rates for patients, shorter hospital stays, and higher patient satisfaction.
Given the widespread use of AI across healthcare is fast approaching, today’s Government decisions should be cognisant of the huge technology change coming; preparing the NHS to use HealthTech innovation effectively and avoid previous pitfalls of technology rollouts.