NHS 10-Year Plan set to revitalize entirely, inclusive of "Value" as key element
## Transforming MedTech Procurement with Value-Based Procurement in the NHS 10 Year Plan
The National Health Service's (NHS) 10 Year Plan for England, set to be published in early July, includes a significant shift in the procurement of Medical Technology (MedTech) through the adoption of Value-Based Procurement (VBP). This new approach aims to deliver better patient outcomes and long-term value, focusing on the overall value created, rather than just short-term costs.
### The Role of VBP in the NHS 10 Year Plan
The VBP system is a key component of the 10 Year Plan, and it will prioritize long-term outcomes over short-term costs, ensuring that procurements align with delivering better health outcomes and more sustainable practices. This approach considers financial, efficiency, patient, and environmental benefits when procuring healthcare devices and digital products.
### Key Features of VBP in the Plan
1. **Standardized Guidelines:** The 10 Year Plan introduces standardized VBP guidelines for devices and digital products, starting from early 2026. 2. **Innovation:** By emphasizing value, the procurement system encourages the adoption of innovative technologies that can improve patient care and efficiency within the NHS. 3. **Collaboration and Education:** Increased collaboration between NHS organizations and the MedTech sector, along with investments in education and training, will support a culture of innovation and informed decision-making in procurement.
### Impact on MedTech Procurement
The implementation of VBP will significantly impact MedTech procurement in several ways:
1. **Encouraging Innovation:** VBP will help MedTech companies by creating an environment where innovative technologies can be effectively integrated into the NHS, based on their potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce whole-life costs. 2. **Streamlined Processes:** The focus on value will lead to more streamlined procurement processes, reducing administrative burdens and fostering a more transparent and innovation-friendly system.
The next phase, "Alpha", will invite bidders to submit proposals for the development of a digital platform to achieve the objectives of the VBP project. Clinicians should be heavily involved in developing the new system to prioritize patient experience and outcomes.
Real-world data and case studies are considered essential for the project's success, and industry engagement is crucial during the Alpha phase to avoid an exclusive reliance on NICE assessments and ODEP models. Proper provision should be made for new, innovative products for which comparisons with existing products are challenging.
The VBP project's "discovery phase" has already revealed a significant discrepancy in approach between procurers and suppliers. The sector emphasizes the need for a rapid rollout of the new approach in primary and community care, in addition to secondary care.
By focusing on value, the NHS 10 Year Plan aims to repair the "broken" NHS, reduce elective waiting lists, and drive down waiting times. The Plan also emphasizes the importance of Artificial Intelligence and other digital technologies, as well as the need for a revitalized system architecture to focus on delivering shifts from analogue to digital, hospital to community, and sickness to prevention. The abolition of NHS England and its necessary functions being absorbed into the Department of Health and Social Care creates an opportunity for this revitalization.
In conclusion, the adoption of VBP in the NHS 10 Year Plan represents a significant step towards a more innovative, sustainable, and patient-centric MedTech procurement system. The successful implementation of this approach will contribute to a more efficient, effective, and modernized NHS.
- The shift in NHS procurement focuses on medical devices, incorporating science and technology for better patient outcomes.
- The 10 Year Plan prioritizes workplace-wellness and mental-health by adopting Value-Based Procurement (VBP) for medical-conditions treatments.
- VBP strategies align with health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and therapies-and-treatments for long-term value, not just short-term costs.
- The VBP system encourages the adoption of innovative CBD-infused medical devices and digital products.
- By considering financial, efficiency, patient, and environmental benefits, NHS makes informed decisions for medical device procurement.
- The 10 Year Plan introduces standardized VBP guidelines, starting from early 2026, for health-and-wellness products and digital solutions.
- The approach to MedTech procurement will be more sustainable, thanks to VBP's focus on long-term outcomes and environmental benefits.
- The collaboration between NHS organizations and the MedTech sector will support a culture of innovation and informed decision-making in health-and-wellness procurement.
- Investments in education and training will foster a better understanding of the latest health-and-wellness technologies and their impact on patient care.
- The 10 Year Plan encourages data-and-cloud-computing initiatives for efficient health-and-wellness product procurement and analysis.
- The implementation of VBP will impact the lifestyle of patients and healthcare providers positively through better health-and-wellness outcomes.
- The focus on value will lead to more efficient food-and-drink choices that promote health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health.
- Proper provision should be made for innovative health-and-wellness products that are hard to compare with existing ones.
- VBP strategies will help the NHS reduce its reliance on traditional, analogue systems and embrace digital technologies.
- The revitalized system architecture will focus on delivering shifts from hospital-based care to community-based care, improving health-and-wellness access.
- The 10 Year Plan emphasizes the importance of personal-finance management and wealth creation for long-term health-and-wellness sustainability.
- By implementing VBP, the NHS hopes to drive down waiting times for various medical-conditions treatments, leading to better patient satisfaction.
- The successful implementation of VBP will contribute to a more efficient, effective, and modernized NHS, benefiting both patients and the MedTech industry.
- In addition to school sports, NHS encourages people to engage in sports-analysis, auto-racing, mixed-martial-arts, and golf for mental-health improvement and fitness-and-exercise.
- The shift towards value-based procurement will improve relationships between healthcare providers, MedTech companies, and their customers, promoting a more compassionate and effective healthcare system.