The UK government introduces ‘innovator passports’ to streamline NHS adoption of new technologies, reducing red tape and enabling faster nationwide deployment of proven innovations
The UK Government is launching innovator passports to accelerate the adoption of breakthrough technologies within the NHS. This new initiative aims to streamline bureaucratic delays, enabling proven medical innovations to be deployed across the healthcare system more quickly and efficiently, ultimately enhancing patient care and outcomes.
Transforming the NHS with collaborative business efforts
In a landmark move, the UK Government has announced a new ‘innovator passport’ that will accelerate access to new technology through a new digital system. It is expected to be launched gradually over the next two years, thereby boosting the UK’s life sciences sector and ushering in a new era of efficiency.
The introduction of innovator passports is a key part of the UK Government’s comprehensive ‘Plan for Change’ and its 10 Year Health Plan. These strategic initiatives are designed to modernise the NHS, improve patient care, and foster innovation in the healthcare sector.
Slow timelines and long processes forced leading technology businesses to avoid working with the NHS. However, collaborating with the NHS will be easier and quicker than ever before, thanks to the removal of bureaucracy.
Under the innovator passport scheme, a single NHS assessment organisation will be established. This organisation will serve as a central point for businesses to initiate collaborations with the NHS. Its primary function will be to expedite the process of introducing innovative technology to patients nationwide. By providing a streamlined assessment process, NHS patients will receive effective treatments and support more quickly, and the NHS will be able to optimise its finite assessment resources.
Adopting innovative medical treatments and technology across the NHS
Some NHS trusts already have access to pioneering treatments and technologies. Special wound dressings are already reducing surgical site infections by 38% at Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals, a technology that could be adopted across the wider NHS network.
At Barts Health Trust in London, the use of antimicrobial protective coverings for cardiac devices cut infections and saved over £103,000 per year. At University Hospitals Dorset, adopting rapid influenza testing reduced bed days and antibiotic use, freeing up vital resources. MedTech Compass will make these innovations, along with the evidence supporting them, clear to buyers within the NHS.
The Innovator Passport will eliminate multiple compliance assessments, reducing duplication across the healthcare service. It will be delivered through MedTech Compass, a digital platform developed by DHSC to make effective technologies more visible and widely available.
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.
Frustrated patients will no longer have to face a postcode lottery for lifesaving products to be introduced in their area, and companies will be able to get their technology used across the NHS more easily, creating a health service fit for the future under the Plan for Change.”
Dr Vin Diwakar, Clinical Transformation Director at NHS England, said: “We’re seeing the impact improvements to technology are having on our everyday lives on everything from smartwatches to fitness trackers – and we want to make sure NHS patients can benefit from the latest medical technology and innovations as well.
The new innovator passports will speed up the roll-out of new health technology in the NHS, which has been proven to be effective, so that patients can benefit from new treatments much sooner.”
