Delve into the heart of the UK healthcare system's most pressing issue – waiting times. With the NHS waiting list soaring to a record 7.8 million patients in September 2023, addressing the challenges becomes paramount.
Explore the intricate balance between demand regulation and the risk of excessive delays, especially in a single-payer system like the NHS. Discover the fine line between modulating demand and avoiding harm to patients in need.
The adoption and spread of medtech innovations has long been a challenge in healthcare markets, particularly for SMEs. The NHS Long Term Plan acknowledges that this process needs to be faster, clearer and simpler, so that innovations, and their benefits, get to patients and clinicians faster.
As a tax relief aimed at supporting UK incorporated research and development companies, R&D tax relief delivers a source of funding in a way that scales with the growth of a business. For companies routinely investing in innovation, it should be considered as part of an overall funding strategy to provide additional cash resources alongside other funding types.
When people are asked about their thoughts on the NHS, their initial response often reflects a deep affection for the people who work in it. It's not surprising, considering that most of us encounter the NHS during our most vulnerable moments, where we consistently find exceptional care and expertise provided by front-line staff.
Most innovations we encounter at Health Tech Enterprise (HTE) have been developed by clinicians or other healthcare professionals who have identified unmet needs in the care pathways. Adopting this approach when designing and developing products is an excellent starting point as the innovation stems from the very real experiences of the main users.
Measuring the improvement in health achieved by an innovation is important for successful medical device development; the sooner an innovator knows where the technology can achieve maximum health improvements, the better the technology design can be targeted for optimal market positioning.
To be successful in a new endeavour, one has to understand the terrain one is about to enter. This terrain can be strange and unusual and lead to failure unless one is adequately prepared.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed how the tech sector can benefit the UK's National Health Service (NHS), one of the largest public health systems in the world. For many, this has been a long time coming, as projects to bring technology into the NHS have been and gone over the last 20 years. The need for the NHS to collaborate with the tech sector has always existed but in the past 20 years, there has been a greater recognition that this partnership is mutually beneficial.