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# Insights from the National Voices Survey on NHS Medical Devices
- URL: https://med-techinsights.com/insights-from-the-national-voices-survey-on-nhs-medical-devices/
- Published: 2026-01-27T14:29:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-22T08:11:49.000Z
- Description: Chris Whitehouse, a public affairs consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications, reflects on the results of the recent DHSC-commissioned National Voices survey examining patient experiences with devices prescribed under Part IX of the NHS Drug Tariff
- Author: Oliver Johnson
- Tags: Insights, Policy & Regulation

###### [*Chris Whitehouse*](https://med-techinsights.com/tag/chris-whitehouse/)*, a public affairs consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at* [*Whitehouse Communications*](https://whitehousecomms.com/?ref=med-techinsights.com)*, reflects on the results of the recent DHSC-commissioned* [*National Voices survey*](https://www.nationalvoices.org.uk/publication/patient-views-on-medical-devices-prescribed-to-them-outside-of-hospital-in-england/?ref=med-techinsights.com) *examining patient experiences with devices prescribed under Part IX of the NHS Drug Tariff.*

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Conducted between November 2024 and March 2025, the research collected 679 survey responses and engaged 66 individuals through interviews and focus groups. The findings emphasise a fundamental principle: patients prioritise devices that accommodate their lives, with meaningful choice central to this experience.

Across multiple device categories – including wound care, respiratory support, diabetes monitoring, urology products, and sensory aids – patients highlighted that suitability is highly individual. Beyond clinical efficacy, factors such as comfort, usability, portability, and aesthetics consistently shape the way individuals interact with their devices.

A recurring insight is that medical devices should support patients to live fully with their conditions, rather than define or restrict their daily lives. Devices that fail to align with personal needs risk undermining both the intended therapeutic effect and the quality of life they are designed to protect.

The survey also highlights considerations around cost and value. While managing expenditure remains an important aspect of NHS decision-making, it is equally important to recognise the broader benefits that devices can provide to patients’ daily lives. Devices that better support usability or personal needs may have implications for both short-term and longer-term outcomes. Evaluating value in this wider context can help ensure that procurement and prescribing decisions reflect both efficiency and patient experience.

For the [**Department of Health and Social Care** ](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care?ref=med-techinsights.com) (DHSC), these findings raise critical questions about how patient perspectives are integrated into policy and assessment. The research underscores the necessity of engagement mechanisms that genuinely capture the experiences of groups facing inequalities and translate these insights into actionable influence over procurement, categorisation, and evaluation processes.

Embedding patient perspectives within Part IX Drug Tariff Independent Assessment Panels therefore emerges as an essential requirement. Panels that prioritise administrative efficiency or clinical metrics over lived experience risk producing frameworks that are technically sound yet insufficiently responsive to the diversity of patient needs.

These findings also have important implications for local decision makers and prescribers. Integrated Care Boards and formulary committees must consider not only clinical and financial factors but also the broader social, emotional, and practical dimensions of device use. Prescribers, including nurse prescribers, are central to ensuring patients are informed of available options and supported in accessing guidance or peer networks. Addressing these dimensions is central to supporting autonomy and effective device use.

Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of ensuring that patient-centred principles inform the Part IX framework and the new value based procurement methodology. For DHSC and prescribers, the challenge is to translate these insights into coherent policy and practice. Without such an approach, there is a risk that technical compliance will be achieved at the expense of the very individuals the system exists to serve.

For further details, the full survey report and supporting information can be found [here](https://www.nationalvoices.org.uk/publication/patient-views-on-medical-devices-prescribed-to-them-outside-of-hospital-in-england/?ref=med-techinsights.com).

*The Author used AI in preparing this article. Comments upon or questions about this article can be addressed to* [*chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com*](mailto:chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com)*.*