Nine out of ten regional NHS plans fail to pay enough attention to the role of medical technology, according to a new report.

The Medical Technology Group’s (MTG) report warned that the health service is in danger of missing an opportunity to harness the power of technology. It found that only four of the 44 regional NHS plans include any meaningful reference to the use of innovative technology, despite it being made a requirement in the NHS England guidelines.

The report makes seven recommendations to ensure that healthcare systems assess, procure, commission and deliver technology-based treatments effectively:

• Break down budget silos: joint working should ensure the benefits of investing in technology are realised, even when they are accrued in a different part of the system.
• Ensure local commissioners follow national guidance: regional NHS organisations should ensure national guidance and policies on the use of technology is followed duplication in assessment is avoided.
• Embrace technology to integrate: regional organisations are ideally placed to ensure the right technology is used in the right place and should look at the total system cost of its use.
• Develop a modern workforce: the workforce should be equipped to deliver modern healthcare and a workforce strategy should be linked to technology needs.
• Embed a strategic approach to procurement: procurement mechanisms should focus on the full value of medical devices, not the upfront cost.
• Alignment of national initiatives: it is critical that Government initiatives are implemented side-by-side and at the same pace across relevant organisations.
• Duty to innovate: NHS England should ensure regional organisations have a strategic plan for the use of technology and a named individual responsible for reporting on progress.

The report suggests the vast majority of the regional organisations set up to implement the NHS’s Five Year Forward View lack strategic planning around the use of devices and technology. This is despite technology being widely recognised by NHS England as a priority in the creation of new regional systems.

For example, one of the 60 questions posed by NHS England asked how regions would be at the forefront of science, research and innovation and questioned how they would embrace breakthroughs in genomics, precision medicine and diagnostics over the next five years. None of the 44 plans addressed the question effectively. Where a response was given, it rarely included much detail.

Very few STPs made any reference to the need to use innovative medical technology. The MTG report also raises concerns about the focus placed on the Carter Review in the regional plans. The group warns that, alongside the lack of clear plans for the use of innovative medical technology, if an ‘overly aggressive focus on unit cost’ is the key decision factor when deciding which technology to use, NHS organisations could miss out on the potential savings on offer.

However, the MTG’s analysis did find that the need to improve the use of digital technology is well covered by the plans. NHS England set out specific goals to be achieved by 2020, including that 95% of GP patients should be offered an e-consultation and other digital services, and that 95% of tests should be digitally transferred between NHS organisations.

Barbara Harpham, chair of the Medical Technology Group, said: “While the focus on the greater use of digital technology to improve services for patients is encouraging, all bar a tiny handful of regional NHS plans have failed to address the need for innovation and technology to improve patient outcomes.

“Attempting to retrofit technology to pathway and systems will not work. Regional NHS organisations must seize the unique opportunity to re-evaluate the use of technology and take full advantage of its possibilities. Until now, NHS budgets fail to encourage investment in one part of the system if it leads to savings in another. For example, advanced therapies in an operating theatre can lead to savings in the number of bed stays as patient recovery times are shorter. Sadly, the majority of regional plans are at risk of missing out on the chance of a lifetime to tackle these perverse incentives.”