Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications, an advisor to MedTech suppliers, chair of the Urology Trade Association, and governor of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, sets out his understanding of the main thrust of the imminent “10 Year Plan” for the NHS.
I’m expecting procurement and the importance of value to be referenced in the Government’s 10 Year Plan for the National Health Service (NHS) in England.
Publication of the Plan is anticipated for early July, and it will reflect the determination of health ministers, led by Health Secretary, West Streeting, to repair what he has described as the “broken” NHS and to drive down elective waiting lists and times.
Those objectives will only be met by the early adoption of Artificial Intelligence and other digital technologies; and a new approach to purchasing MedTech through the Value Based Procurement system, currently being developed by the Medtech and Innovation Directorate of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The abolition of NHS England, and the absorption of its necessary functions into the DHSC, creates an opportunity, the Plan is likely to say, for a revitalised system architecture to enable it to focus on delivering the shifts Wes Streeting has challenged the whole NHS to deliver in England: shifts from analogue to digital, from hospital to community, and from sickness to prevention.
That revitalisation of the system will be necessary to deliver on the other four principles the 10 Year Plan which are expected to include delivering:
- a neighbourhood health service, with care in the community closer to home;
- a revolution in patient power through technology to give patients more control over their care and empower them to make better choices;
- a modern culture and new workforce model for NHS staff; and
- a science and technology powered health system to transform the model of care.
The MedTech and Innovation Directorate is also set to move forward with its development of its VBP Standard Guidance (formerly referred to as VBP “methodology”) and supporting digital platform. The “discovery phase” of the project is now complete, with analysis of research showing a significant discrepancy in approach between procurers and suppliers, with the former, amongst other things, focused more on price, and the latter affording greater importance to value.
The next, “Alpha” phase of the project, will imminently go out to procurement to invite bidders to submit proposals and costs for how they would take the discovery phase findings, and, consulting with procurers, clinicians and suppliers, work out what functionality an effective digital platform would need to offer users to achieve the objectives of the project in delivering what would be a paradigm shift in the NHS’s approach to MedTech procurement.
A third “Beta” phase is then envisaged to invite proposals for developing such a platform, should the Alpha phase conclude that it is required and is feasible.
Industry must engage with this process, particularly the Alpha phase about to commence, to ensure that there is not an exclusive reliance on assessments such as those of NICE or such models as ODEP [Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel]. Many in the MedTech sector consider that such models don’t take into account the reality that, to date, randomised controlled trials have not been the approach adopted for medical devices, that for many categories of device they simply would not be feasible; and that in some categories there are so many products that intense clinical assessment would not be practical. Inclusion of real-world data and case studies should be seen as essential to the project’s success.
The sector also needs to press its concerns that, properly to reflect whole system cost savings, and improved patient outcomes, the new approach should be rolled out rapidly in primary and community care, as well as in secondary care; that clinicians must be heavily involved in developing the new system so that patient experience and outcomes are at its heart; and that proper provision is made for new, truly innovative, products for which comparisons with existing products are challenging.
The Author used AI in preparing this article, comments upon or questions about which can be addressed to chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com.
