Technology
The innovation buck stops with you, Mr Hancock Barbara Harpham, chair of the Medical Technology Group, considers the mechanisms designed to promote the adoption of innovation by the NHS, and asks whether - at last we may be making some progress For over 18 years, successive Secretaries of State have championed the importance of innovation and the adoption of new medical technology by the NHS. In that time there have been over 20 reviews, reports, recommendations and initiatives designed to achieve this goal. But how successful have these steps been in ensuring the NHS takes full advantage of the technology on offer and what needs to be done next to make a significant impact? Fifteen years of frustration When we first reported on efforts to promote the adoption of innovative medical technology back in 2016, we branded our report Déjà Review. The title reflected the frustration we felt from what we perceived as a distinct lack of progress, despite countless hours of civil servant time being poured in to solve fundamental issues. That was before the publication of the Accelerated Access Review. Déjà Review set out nine recommendations for the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC).
The AAC is providing leadership and guidance for development of innovation across the health service. It also appears to be gaining the prominence and leadership needed to ensure it makes a significant impact on the innovation landscape. Its remit has expanded from identifying specific products that it supports through accelerated regulatory Checking the pulse of approval to addressing the more fundamental innovation in the NHS challenges to the uptake of new technology. Four years on from the Déjà Review report, It now functions as a ‘single front door’ to the we decided the time was ripe to take innovation ecosystem, horizon scanning for another look at the health of the NHS’s the best new innovations so we know what’s innovation systems. Our latest report: coming down the track, and developing Our NHS: A spotlight on the Innovation a local and national approach to Landscape does just that. Launched demand signalling to send a at a roundtable event in clear message to the market Westminster hosted by Chris about what the NHS needs. Green MP in January, the The go o Similarly, the AHSNs, report makes for more d work d established in 2013 to positive reading. In o n e by one AH spread innovation at fact, we conclude that always SN is not pace and scale across the NHS system for regions and improve innovation adoption well in replicated anothe health and economic is healthier than r while collabo growth, provide a E it’s ever been. ra These included a long-term commitment to the AAR by government, and a central role for Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) in supporting the spread of innovative technologies. I am glad to say that much of this advice was heeded.
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Issue 20.1 | HEALTH BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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