Progressing infection control innovation

Access to funding, the complexity of procurement processes and the importance of public/private partnerships were among the issues highlighted. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The overall medical technology spend in the UK as a percentage of GDP is considerably lower that the European average and that of the US. There is now substantial recognition by the Government of the importance of this issue to the future of the NHS – Derek Wanless, David Cooksey and Lord Ara Darzi have all highlighted shortcomings in NHS technology adoption and the need to progress innovation. However, it is widely acknowledged that there are complex barriers to accessing NHS procurement, while obtaining funding has proven especially challenging for innovative SMEs seeking to introduce new technologies. The current procurement model, which focuses on driving down prices, has also been seen as a disincentive for some companies to invest heavily in R&D. Feedback from discussion at the conference suggested that SMEs feel “disconnected with the NHS procurement process”, while the cost of producing evidence is often “too expensive”. Furthermore, they commented that the NHS needs to see the “bigger picture” on costs – as savings can be made in the long term on health technology innovation. Frustration was also expressed at the event at the “lack of understanding in procurement hubs of new innovations” and the fact that they tended to be risk adverse. Some of the audience suggested that there is a need to “educate procurement” – not to just sell to them. Crucially, the event highlighted the need to work with the Department of Health to progress credible technology for the future and outlined a number of key projects to support this goal. Routes to funding and approaches to gaining an evidence base were also explored. In particular, Michael Mackay-Lewis, from the Technology Strategy Board highlighted a new Government-funded programme that will look at how new technology might be developed to help minimise the impact of the threat of infectious diseases.

Funding