It’s the start of the year so of course, along with every other sector, many of us are looking forward to the coming months, where we should be focussing on what the industry has in store for business between now and December.
For sure, the general election at the end of 2019 raised questions about the way healthcare would progress in the UK. In fact, this issue of MTI offers some opinions on this. What’s clear about healthcare currently is that digital is still a key focus for many manufacturers. We know that Matt Hancock, health secretary, is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast, which of course strengthens the idea that digital tech will be at the heart of the NHS going forward.
This seems to be the case. Around a year ago, the government set out its Long Term Plan. With a focus to speed up the route by which technology reaches patients, it’s easy to see the importance that digital technology has within the NHS. Playing a key role in the process, the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) which was set in 2016, enables industry, government and the NHS to work together, removing barriers to the uptake of innovation. The AAC identifies and supports this and highlights products it feels will have the ’biggest impact on patient health outcomes and NHS services’. These include medical technologies, digital products and diagnostic products.
This plan sends out a positive message to healthtech and digital health flag-wavers. Hancock has been quoted as saying that he believes technology makes humans better, and in this case that’s exactly what it does. On a regular basis we see that medical technology has the potential to change our lives when and where we need it. Technology is moving at a pace and in addition to connected devices and monitoring systems, we are seeing smart fabrics that contain sensors to keep a track on vital signs, or technology embedded in footwear that has the ability to pick up on early onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
It is predicted that the UK digital healthcare market will reach $28.3 billion by 2025. Likewise, Ireland is no stranger to understanding the value that digital products have within the healthcare system. Back in 2017, the Irish government outlined its healthcare vision for the next decade. This included the implementation of digital health.
The importance of technology in the healthcare ecosystem was recently highlighted by Deloitte Insights. Its Winning at the Future of Medtech analysis, underlined that medtech companies have the potential to drive the future of health but many may need to form partnerships with consumer technology and digital health companies to meet the needs of the market.
According to authors, the “future of health is expected to be driven by an omnipresent, proactive, and integrated system of health and well-being where transformational technologies (eg. artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cloud storage, augmented and virtual reality, and so on) are poised to play a huge role”.
Digital health is nothing new but the effect of its presence is growing year on year. And thanks to government initiatives its impact on manufacturing is becoming increasingly evident.
