Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation at Whitehouse Communications, chair of the Urology Trade Association updates readers on key recent announcements impacting the medtech sector in the UK.
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Medical technology in 2023
Workforce challenges, stretched A&E departments and record waiting times putting patients at serious risk. It may be a new year, but the same old problems persist for the health sector.
With experts warning over the last few days that pressure on the NHS is “intolerable” and “unsustainable”, the government is facing mounting demands to address the ongoing crisis. Yet with the prime minister and the health secretary both adamant that the health service has the funding it needs, can part of the solution be found in reforming regulation and embracing new and innovative ways of thinking?
This was the tone behind Sunak’s new year speech, which acknowledged the current pressures yet admitted that the system needs to change. Since my last article in early December, the government made a series of important announcements, which collectively demonstrate its steadfast commitment to promoting innovation and reforming regulation to make the UK a world leader in life sciences.
On 18 December, the chancellor announced the appointment of five leading industry experts from five “high potential” sectors – digital technology, green industries, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and the creative industries – to accelerate the development and deployment of technology in the UK. The announcement builds on the commitment within the Autumn Statement to reform retained EU law in digital technology. The industry experts are:
- Matt Clifford, chair of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)
- Priya Lakhani OBE, founder and CEO of Century Tech, and member of the AI Council
- Sir John Bell, immunologist and regius professor of medicine and the University of Oxford
- Camilla Fleetcroft, vice-president of clinical and regulatory affairs at Eclevar UK and former interim deputy director of innovative devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- Jane Toogood, chief executive of Catalyst Technologies at Johnson Matthey, a specialty chemicals and sustainable technologies company
These individuals will support Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser and national technology adviser, whose task it is to ensure that optimal policies are in place to encourage competition and innovation. The decision for the Treasury to oversee this review is significant in itself: if the government is fully to reap the benefits of embracing innovation, a cross departmental approach will be vital going forward.
Further indicative of the government’s commitment to support emerging health technologies, on 19 December, it was announcedthat the MHRA has received nearly £1 million in funding through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)’s Regulators’ Pioneer Fund for three new projects designed to hasten scientific and digital innovation, and ultimately improve patient health and health service outcomes.
This same motivation lay behind Wellcome’s recent decision to also award the MHRA, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) £1.8m in funding to explore and produce guidance on regulating digital mental health tools. The project is in its infancy, but with technology increasingly transforming the way we manage our health, as evidenced by the spike in NHS App downloads, we can expect real progress to be made in 2023.
Time and the electoral tide is against the prime minister and his government. The next General Election will be held within two years, so Rishi Sunak faces a monumental task to fix the dire situation engulfing the country and win back the trust of voters. Innovation in policy, practice and technology can help deliver the changes that are a prerequisite of any realistic prospect of electoral success.
Questions about or comments upon this article can be addressed to the author at chris.whitehouse@whitehousecomms.com.
