Easier to Adopt, Quicker to Scale: Adoption into the NHS
On Tuesday 17th Sep, MedCity and Grow London hosted the Adoption into the NHS event at the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering, with the aim of helping life science innovators reach this crucial milestone, and navigate the pathways to get there.
During this panel event, we were joined by both NHS innovation experts and successful scaleups already familiar with navigating this landscape, who shared their insights and experiences in a discussion focused on key questions surrounding NHS adoption.
Keynote Speaker and Panelists
Keynote Speaker: Dr Anna Barnes, Director of the King’s College Technology Evaluation Centre
Panelists:
Sara Nelson, Programme Director, DigitalHealth.London
Dr Michael Watts, Co-Founder and CEO of Blüm Health
Dr Bea Bakshi, Co-Founder and CEO of C The Signs
Christina Sothinathan, Innovation Business Partner at CW Innovation
Moderator:
Hassan Chaudhury, Commercial Director, DATA-CAN
Key Takeaways: How to Successfully Adopt Innovation in to the NHS
The NHS is a highly regulated environment, and With increased pressure due to staff shortages, growing workloads, and organisational complexities, the NHS is constantly finding ways to do more with less whilst prioritising patient outcomes and cost efficiency. So how can life science innovators reach this milestone? Preparation is key!
To successfully adopt innovation in to the NHS, the following must be considered:
Align with NHS Workforce Priorities
The NHS looks to improve patient care, reduce hospital admissions and support workforce efficiency. As such, innovations that address such priorities will stand a better chance at success.
Innovations that reduce hospital admissions, shorten recovery times, or enhance preventative care can save significant costs while maintaining high quality service delivery.
To be successful at securing investment from the NHS, innovators must demonstrate a strong value proposition in terms of cost-savings or patient outcomes.
Address Workforce Challenges
Introducing new technologies or processes within the NHS can be challenging due to ingrained ways of working and a natural reluctance to disrupt established systems.
As such, NHS staff must be considered when innovations are designed.
User Centric Design
User-friendly interfaces and intuitive design are essential to ensure NHS staff can quickly adopt new technologies or processes.
Engaging the workforce in the design and testing phase will ensure the solution fits seamlessly into their day-to-day work. Innovations must be integrated with adequate staff training and ongoing support in mind so staff can use the innovation effectively without disruptions.
Understand existing frameworks
Understanding the frameworks that already exist for translating innovations into real-world NHS adoption means recognising that this journey is about more than just developing a good product or solution.
Innovators must navigate a complex system of regulation, integration, and providing value. If the structured pathways and recognised pathways are followed, the chances of success are greatly increased.
Understand the NHS Procurement and Commissioning Pathways
procurement focuses on purchasing solutions, while commissioning involves planning and funding services. Innovators need to navigate these processes and ensure their solutions align with NHS priorities.
A clear value for patient care and cost-effectiveness must be demonstrated, as well as the lack of standardisation across the NHS taken in to consideration. This will help innovators reduce delays and additional hurdles when trying to secure investment.
Understand NHS Pricing and Governance
NHS pricing is governed by a mix of national tarifs, cost-effectivenesss assesements, and local negotiations.
The NHS has several governance frameworks that innovators must navigate to ensure their solutions are safe, effective and compliant with healthcare standards. These frameworks provide essential oversight for the safe, secure , and effective use of innovations.
Innovators must meet clinical safety, data protection, and interoperability requirements to gain NHS adoption.
Maintain Adaptability and Interoperability
Innovators need to integrate seamlessly in to the NHS’s complex IT systems, including Electronic Health Records and other digital platforms as well as being flexible enough to fit within the existing infrastructure, processes and workflows.
Demonstrating adaptability and interoperability by tailoring solutions to meet the unique challenges of different NHS settings, from hospitals to GP practices, and being prepared for continuous updates or modifications will greatly increase chances of success.
Instill Trust in AI
AI tools should be rigorously tested and validated in clinical settings to ensure accuracy, safety and reliability. Systems must be transparent about how they operate, making sure clinicians and patients understand the decision making process behind AI-driven recommendations.
Ensuring AI respects patient confidentiality, adheres to ethical guidelines, and avoids biases is vital to maintaining public trust. Clear guidelines around data privacy and consent are essential. AI should be seen as a tool to support, not replace clinicians. Ongoing training and education for healthcare professionals on AI’s capabilities and limitations can help build confidence and encourage its effective use within the NHS.
The benefit of Innovation/Charity Grants
Innovation/charity grants cover crucial early costs such as research, regulatory compliance, clinical validation and market entry. This enables companies to focus on long-term sustainability rather than worrying about immediate financial survival.
For innovators, especially startups and small businesses, this funding can be the difference between success and failure, allowing them to focus on developing solutions that can improve healthcare outcomes without the burden of financial constraints.
Consider the Fragmentation of the NHS
Different NHS organisations may have different needs, standards, and practices, which can complicate the development and implementation of solutions that need to work across diverse settings.
Take in to account the time it may take to engage with multiple stakeholders across different NHS organisations and take in to account that this requires understanding of various priorities, securing buy-in, and addressing diverse concerns.
Create Flexible Solutions
By ensuring your innovation is designed to integrate with a range of existing systems and platforms whilst addressing potential interoperability challenges allows for solutions that are modular and adaptable to different settings within the NHS.
Start with pilot projects in specific NHS organisations to demonstrate the value of your innovation and gather evidence for broader adoption.
Foster Collaborations
Leverage networks and partnerships. Colaborate with AHSNs, like the Health Innovation Network, which can help bridg gaps between innovators and teh NHS.
Working within the NHS requires navigating a landscape of multiple stakeholders, from regulatory bodies to healthcare professionals. Being open to partnerships and co-developing solutions with NHS teams can accelerate the adoption process.