The Guest Friday Blog: Headwinds, Tailwinds & Pacemakers
As I recently mentioned in a LinkedIn post ‘where have the last 35 years gone’. Not quite the blink of an eye but certainly faster than I imagined, from bedside to boardroom, would be one way to describe my journey, and throughout that time HealthTech has captured my imagination and enthusiasm when we see what it can do for population and individual patient health. I like to think of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, in such a moment. “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”.
Having had my Bueller moment, I am convinced there has never been a better time to be in the field of HealthTech, whether that be in R&D, Market Access, Clinical Support or a Sales professional to name a few of the rich church that forms the HealthTech family. Technology advancements, yes everyone will call out AI and Robotics, but these have been around for years, it is only recently that policymakers are buying into the potential opportunities such tech can deliver. The diagnostics sector is unbelievable too, one great example I had the pleasure of understanding more about in my former role at NICE, was the development journey of ABHI member, Genedrive, truly amazing and with the patient problem at the centre of the development, coupled with solid evidence development. Please do look it up, and if nothing else you will be educated on a very unique problem many of us have never heard of. Let’s not overlook the implantable sector, often invisible once the surgical procedure is undertaken but inside that device, magic happens both automatically and with the aid of expert healthcare professionals, be that Industry or NHS employed, personalising settings to individual patient needs. These are mere snapshots of the brilliance of the HealthTech Industry.
Why am I so upbeat, even with some ‘headwinds’? Well, like most things in life tough times lead to fantastic solutions, and the HealthTech sector has always risen to the challenge. Why? There are many reasons, but necessity is the mother of invention as they say. If you can think it, the clever engineers could probably have a mock-up in a matter of weeks. How cool is that? There is a note of caution that follows however, regulation, evidence, cost effectiveness and the often unnecessarily complex healthcare systems, lead to developers, both micro and multinational, getting frustrated.
In such situations we must caution against talking the market down and discounting the UK as a launch region, yes let’s not forget the UK is not a single Health system. These are just challenges to overcome rather than claiming it is a whole sector issue or country issue, trust me it isn’t.
That is why I am so upbeat about the present and the future on our doorstep. In the MedTech Strategy the market estimate for HealthTech, in all its rich forms, was estimated at £10 Billion! Now some dispute that figure, but whatever you think it is, it’s a big number and one we should shout about, particularly when we are told ‘there is no money’. There is plenty of it. Our goal in HealthTech is to make sure it is spent on the most impactful technologies and delivers best value for the taxpayer. Ah that old chestnut I hear you say, but it is important. The marketeer Brian Dyson said once ‘Value has a value only if its value is valued’. I’ll let that sink in. Products really need to solve a problem, a problem that is recognised and one people are willing to tackle. Often these will be thorny problems that are easier to leave well alone, but that’s not HealthTech we pursue with relentlessness, in these areas partnering with clinicians, administrators and stakeholders to ensure these solutions reach the patient or patient pathway. More encouragement should also be taken by the 10-year Health Plan for England, and the drive to bring HealthTech assessment on par with Medicines, via the NICE Technology Appraisal approach. Don’t get hot under the collar, yes, we know there are differences, most of which can be solved by the clever methodologists, but no longer do ‘we’ assume pharma is the answer to everything, nor first in queue for funding. When over the years many technological interventions would have delivered greater benefit and at a cost-effective price for the NHS.
Which is why it was so encouraging to see the four technologies selected by, and referred to NICE by the Minister, for consideration of the funding mandate in the recent press release ‘Government to end the cancer postcode lottery for patients’.
To quote another TV favourite. ‘I love it when a plan comes together’. Yes, HealthTech is the A-Team.
So, what should we take from this? Well, HealthTech is firmly back on the agenda, and we should rally around as a collective to showcase all that HealthTech can deliver in service of the 10-year Health Plan and beyond, because a considerable volume of tech are here today. Yes, it may not be ‘your’ product now, and the system partners may not have perfectly executed these initiatives just yet, but in the future if we capitalise on these policy changes now, the next 35 years for HealthTech will be unrecognisable, and the UK can rightfully be seen as a leader and gateway to wider markets.
Cheers, Mark.
Mark Chapman is the former Executive Director HealthTech National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and is the Director of the market access and health policy consultancy, Navigate HealthTech Ltd.