A new ‘innovator passport’ - to be introduced over the next two years - will allow new technology that has been robustly assessed by one NHS organisation to be easily rolled out to others.
The move is a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change and its 10 Year Health Plan, which will transfer power to patients and transform how healthcare is delivered, creating an NHS fit for the future.
The measure aims to end slow timelines and reams of processes for new technology, enabling suppliers and organisations to join up with the NHS quicker. A ‘one-stop shop’ thorough check from the NHS will now allow businesses to get to work as quickly as possible and deliver on what matters most to patients across the country. It means NHS patients will get more effective treatments and support quicker, while businesses are given a boost through the Government’s industrial strategy.
The new passport will eliminate multiple compliance assessments, reducing duplication across the health service. It will be delivered through MedTech Compass, a digital platform developed by the Department of Health and Social Care to make effective technologies more visible and widely available.
MedTech Compass will make these innovations and the evidence underpinning them clear to buyers within the NHS. The initiative builds on the government’s drive to slash waiting lists and ensure people have access to health and care when and where they need it under the Plan for Change.
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: “For too long, Britain’s leading scientific minds have been held back by needless admin that means suppliers are repeatedly asked for the same data in different formats by different trusts - this is bad for the NHS, patients and bad for business. These innovator passports will save time and reduce duplication, meaning our life sciences sector - a central part of our 10 Year Health Plan - can work hand in hand with the health service and make Britain a powerhouse for medical technology.”
The passports mean that once a healthcare tool has been assessed by one NHS organisation, further NHS organisations will not be able to insist on repeated assessments, reducing the need for local NHS systems to spend their limited resources on bureaucratic processes that have already been completed elsewhere.
The digital system will act as a dynamic best buyer’s guide, making it easier for trusts to compare products side-by-side in one place.