Spotlight reports
MTG Manifesto: MedTech the Solution
Medical Technology Access Accelerator
Our NHS: A Spotlight on the Innovation Landscape
STPs and the use of technology
The North-South NHS divide: how where you are – not what you need – dictates your care
Déjà Review: What lessons can be learnt from the past?
Admissions of Failure – The truth about unplanned admissions in the NHS
Innovation, Health, Wealth – a Scorecard
Infection Prevention and Control – Combatting a problem that has not gone away
Hip and Knee Surgery: Combating Patient Lotteries
Pump Action: A Review of Insulin Pump Uptake and NICE Guidance in
Tackling the Elective Backlog: A Spotlight Report on the Implementation and Impact of Surgical Hubs and Diagnostic Centres – November 2023
This report examines decision-making at Surgical Hubs and Community Diagnostic Centres, how NHS England is tackling the elective backlog through innovative means, and the role of medical technology and patient involvement.
Deja Review update
– August 2023
Our original 2016 report called for a system-wide adoption of technologies and a focus on longer term strategy and solutions to end the postcode lottery of access to medical technologies in the NHS. However, barriers to the uptake of innovation still exist, particularly for small and medium sized enterprises. With the government prioritising innovation through its MedTech Strategy and the Sinker Innovation Review, the MTG is calling for three recommendations to ensure the NHS can fully harness its benefits.
NHS Backlog Briefing
– October 2022
The backlog of care in the NHS increased significantly during the pandemic, with the highest number of patients waiting for care since records began. Its impact on patients included worsening conditions and poorer outcomes, as well as increasing pressure on the waiting list and wider NHS services.
In this report case studies illustrate how medical technology can be used to help reduce long waits for care. Addressing the backlog, and ensuring patients receive timely care should not come at the expense of patient choice. The MTG is calling for the NHS to ensure that patients voices are heard, and they are given agency in decisions on their own care, particularly equitable access to technology to support their care.
MTG Manifesto: MedTech the Solution
– November 2021
On the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Medical Technology Group, we celebrate the achievements in medical technology over the past two decades, and the benefits it has brought by improving patients’ lives, making the NHS safer and more efficient, and helping people back to work. The report also makes recommendations on how medical technology can address the major issues facing the NHS today and in the near future.
Medical Technology Access Accelerator
– March 2021
The NHS has long wrestled with the challenge of creating a system that allows for the systematic uptake and spread of innovation. Over many years, a number of reports have been published that have given rise to new organisations and Departments charged with solving this problem. At present, however, the NHS has not found a way to pull through innovative products – meaning patients miss out. For innovators, the system remains difficult to navigate and uptake is at best patchy, and at worst non-existent.
In this report, we propose eleven elements of the Access Accelerator for a more efficient system of innovation uptake to take best advantage of proven medical technology.
Our NHS: A spotlight on the Innovation Landscape
– January 2020
How healthy is the current NHS innovation landscape? In our latest study, ‘Our NHS: A Spotlight on the Innovation Landscape’, we assess the current mechanisms for innovation and technology, and whether they foster an environment that delivers timely treatments to patients and takes full advantage of the health technology on offer. This includes an evaluation of the key innovation organisations, based on factors such as how they perform, interact and operate with one another.
We also look at which changes have taken place since our 2016 Déjà Review report, assessing whether the development of the AAR took the recommendations made in this report into account and avoided previous mistakes.
STPs and the use of technology
– November 2018
Regional Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) set out plans for revolutionising local healthcare systems and delivering the NHS Five Year Forward View, published by NHS England in 2014. The original STP documents vary in length and detail but are designed to clarify the strategic objectives in each geographical area.
As some STPs begin to evolve into Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships and Integrated Care Systems in order to implement the plans, this report examines what the regional NHS organisations need to do to ensure that innovation is at the heart of the strategy and that patients can get access to the technology they need.
The North-South NHS divide: how where you are – not what you need – dictates your care
– August 2017
The NHS has long strived to deliver equity of access to patients regardless of their location across the UK. NICE was originally established to help ensure that patients could access innovative treatments regardless of where they live in the country. Following this, the Government established the 18 week referral to treatment waiting target to ensure that patients get access in a timely manner.
The Medical Technology Group (MTG) examined data from all 209 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) from across England to find out how effective they are at giving patients access to medical technology.
Déjà Review: What lessons can be learnt from the past?
– June 2016
Improving the way the NHS uses innovation has become the holy grail of NHS efficiency. In 2004, Derek Wanless described the NHS as a ‘late and slow adopter of innovation’ in his review, ‘Securing Good Health for the Whole Population’. Since that report many people would argue that the situation remains the same, despite a series of initiatives and reports promoting better use of innovation.
In this report The Medical Technology Group (MTG) considered what can be learnt from previous initiatives and suggested ways the Accelerated Access Review (AAR) can have most impact.
Admissions of Failure – The truth about unplanned admissions in the NHS – November 2015
Unplanned (or emergency) hospital admissions account for more than a third – 5.4 million – of all hospital admissions and two thirds of all hospital bed days. This is bad for the patients admitted in an emergency – disproportionately frail, elderly and poor. It is bad for other patients, disrupting their care and delaying appointments. It is extremely costly to the NHS – the cost was 11 billion GBP in 2010/11 alone.
Tackling unplanned admissions is vital to ensuring the Five Year Forward View is successfully implemented.
Innovation, Health, Wealth – a Scorecard – June 2015
Three and a half years after the launch of the NHS Innovation, Health and Wealth (IHW) scheme in December 2011, the Medical Technology Group (MTG) published a report detailing the progress made by IHW on the six high impact innovations which were to be spread through the NHS at ‘pace and scale’.
The data collected in the report indicates that the push for greater adoption of innovations has largely failed to produce significant results. While some successes have been noted from IHW; such as the launch of Academic Health Science Networks, there has been a widespread lack of uptake on the high impact innovations.
Infection Prevention and Control – Combatting a problem that has not gone away – September 2014
Following a Freedom of Information request to all NHS Acute Trusts in England, in September 2014 the MTG published a report: Infection Prevention and Control – Combatting a problem that has not gone away that revealed that the majority of Trusts were unaware of the full scale or the operational and financial impact of five common infections: sepsis; catheter-associated urinary tract infections; catheter-related blood infections; ventilator-associated pneumonia; and norovirus. The MTG called on the Government to develop a strategy for using technology for infection prevention and control.
Hip and Knee Surgery: Combating Patient Lotteries
– November 2013
In November 2013, the MTG published a report into waiting times for knee and hip replacements on the National Health Service. The report reviewed ten years of government data on knee and hip replacement, and data from Freedom of Information requests to acute NHS hospital trusts in England. The report suggested that patient experiences vary significantly according to the financial calendar and where they live.
A review of the provision of and access to Uterine Artery / Fibroid Embolisation, a treatment for Fibroids for women in England – December 2011
In 2011 the MTG and patient support group FEmISA published a report: ‘The provision of and access to Uterine Artery / Fibroid Embolisation, a less invasive treatment for fibroids for women’. The report, which was welcomed by the British Society of Interventional Radiologists, highlighted a lack of coherent commissioning in England, despite National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines recommending UFE as a first line treatment for symptomatic fibroids.
A review of the provision of and access to Uterine Artery / Fibroid Embolisation, a treatment for Fibroids for women in England.
Pump Action: A Review of Insulin Pump Uptake and
NICE Guidance in English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)
– December 2010
In 2010 the MTG made a Freedom of Information request to Primary Care Trusts in England on the provision of insulin pumps to patients with Type 1 diabetes. It found the average to be 3.9 per cent compared to the 12 per cent benchmark recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The findings were the subject of an Early Day Motion tabled by Adrian Sanders MP on December 9, 2010.
Making the Economic Case for Medical Technology – 2004
In 2004, the MTG’s report ‘Making the Economic Case for Medical Technology’ suggested that increasing the provision of medical technology can “help patients better manage their conditions” and lead a “longer and relatively healthy life”. It also suggested that by making greater use of technology there are cost benefits for the National Health Service. The report was the subject of an Early Day Motion tabled by Ian Gibson MP. The motion was signed by 30 Members of Parliament.
