October 2024
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This conference discussed next steps for digital health and the adoption of medical technology in England.
Bringing together stakeholders and policymakers, it was an opportunity to discuss priorities for the new Government around funding, regulation and improving patient access to digital health and medical technology.
It comes with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care pledging to make Britain a powerhouse for medical technology and life sciences, and calling for a more effective culture of innovation.
With proposals put forward by NICE and NHS in May 2024 to accelerate the adoption of safe and cost-effective healthcare products, it was also an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to examine what is needed to further align medical technology developments with clinical needs, and to assess opportunities for regulation to improve patient access to innovation.
It also took place with further plans from MHRA for devices certified by approved international regulators to be used in the UK, as well as streamlining regulatory processes and minimising duplicate certification to accelerate patient access, with concerns from industry over how certification will work in practice.
Delegates considered funding priorities for digital innovation and medical devices to modernise the NHS, looking at next steps for the Fit for the Future Fund, and developing earlier diagnosis through adoption of innovative technologies in line with the new Government’s shift towards preventative models of care.
Stakeholders and policymakers also discussed the role of the workforce moving forward, and priorities for delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for training to accelerate the implementation of devices and digital technologies across healthcare delivery.
Delegates assessed next steps for improving collaboration between regulators and industry, with the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) launched last year, which aims to develop a framework to improve regulation, assessment and access pathways, alongside proposals in the MHRA Regulatory Roadmap published earlier this year. Areas for discussion included the progress of the pilot, how regulation can keep pace with innovation going forward, and the potential for introducing training programmes to boost understanding of new developments.
It was also an opportunity to discuss the new Government’s approach to maintaining safety alongside innovation following the independent review Equity in medical devices, which highlighted bias affecting certain groups in areas such as research, AI algorithms and functioning of medical devices. Approaches to safely accelerating the deployment of AI into NHS care were discussed, as the Government plans to double the number of AI-enabled CT and MRI scanners in the NHS, and the way forward for personalisation of new tech, such as wearables for managing conditions and improving healthcare outcomes.
Further sessions assessed progress and next steps for tackling barriers to adoption of technology in health systems, including priorities for resourcing the NHS to adopt innovation, expanding the use of the NHS app across health services, utilising the federated data platform and sharing patient records in order to improve efficiency, and the use of virtual wards to reduce waiting times and increase bed capacity.
Overall, areas for discussion included:
- digital technologies in healthcare delivery: assessing progress in adopting and embedding digital transformation - key priorities moving forward - infrastructure needs
- regulation pathways: streamlining regulatory pathways to accelerate uptake of innovative technologies - assessing the innovative devices access pathway framework - priorities for patient safety
- tackling bias in medical devices: guidance for regulators, clinicians and developers - patient access to medical devices and digital technologies - patient-centred approaches to digital inclusion
- research and innovation: addressing barriers to funding for developers - options for incentives - supporting innovation to help meet unmet medical needs
- collaboration: opportunities for coordination to accelerate adoption - expanding use of the NHS app - increasing record-sharing between services - leadership within ICSs moving forward
- virtual wards: options for expanding utilisation - the role of new medical technologies in supporting NHS bed capacity
- workforce: priorities for education and improving digital literacy within the NHS - workforce ambitions for digital transformation outlined in the plan for digital health and social care
- tackling barriers to adoption: interoperability - improving systems between primary and secondary care - supporting the adoption of the FDP - harnessing data and addressing variation between services - digital systems procurement
All delegates were able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. Those that attended include officials from DHSC; DSIT; HSE; MHRA; OLS; UKHSA; DBT; Department for the Economy, NI; and The Scottish Government.
