17.06.16
NHS to fast-track commissioning of new innovations, says Stevens
Providing med-tech innovations on the NHS will be made faster and cheaper, the CEO of NHS England promised today.
During his speech at the NHS Confederation conference in Manchester, Simon Stevens announced a new innovation and technology tariff category that will allow NHS England to ‘bulk buy’ innovations nationally instead of locally and guarantee automatic reimbursement when an approved innovation is used.
Examples of innovative technologies which could be routinely commissioned under the reforms include AliveCor, a mobile heart monitor that detects heart arrhythmias, MyCOPD, an app to self-manage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder.
Stevens said: “The NHS has a proud track record of world firsts in medical innovation - think hip replacements, IVF, vaccinations and organ transplants to name just a few. But then getting wide uptake has often been slow and frustrating. Now – at a time when the NHS is under pressure – rather than just running harder to stand still, it’s time to grab with both hands these practical new treatments and technologies.
“In the rest of our lives we're seeing the difference that innovative tech makes, and now the NHS will have a streamlined way of getting ground-breaking and practical new technologies into the hands of patients and our frontline nurses, doctors and other staff. By doing that, we can transform people's lives.”
Stevens also announced a new round of recruitment to the NHS Innovation Accelerator programme, which spreads tested innovations across the health service.
The new tariff will also provide a clear ‘route to market’ for innovations found to be worthwhile in the Innovation Accelerator programme, the Test Beds programme or the Commissioning Through Evaluation programme.
The new funding mechanism is consistent with policy direction expected to be recommended in the Department of Health's forthcoming Accelerated Access Review.
NHE will provide full coverage of the NHS Confederation conference on our website and in our July/August edition.