When the 10-Year Health Plan consultation was launched, we were not surprised to hear from Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association that “for too long, many patients have felt their voices weren’t fully heard in shaping health services”. When it comes to the interaction between patients and medical technologies on the NHS – this is very much true.

Over recent years, the Medical Technology Group has led work – with its 44 members – to define what meaningful patient involvement should look like. In 2022, we published the Guide to Meaningful Patient Involvement, assessing how national and local health bodies engage with patients. We followed this in 2023 with Delivering Meaningful Patient Involvement: The MTG’s Guide for Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), which found wide variation in how patient voices are included — from the omission of patients on decision-making bodies to limited consultation on crucial care decisions.

Through a major consultation with our patient group members, we asked a simple question: how can the NHS better involve patients, particularly when it comes to medical technology, over the next ten years? The feedback highlighted six key themes.

First, comprehensive training for patients is essential. Patients must be given proper preparation to engage confidently and meaningfully in committees and working groups. Currently, some training feels tokenistic, leaving patients feeling underprepared. Organisations must work with patient groups to develop better support systems that empower patients to speak up effectively.

Second, ongoing support mechanisms and resources are critical. Beyond initial training, patients need accessible information, assistance with disabilities and language barriers, and financial support to attend meetings. True patient involvement requires investment — and brings significant returns by improving health outcomes and service design.

Third, patients highlighted the need for better advertisement and promotion of involvement opportunities. Recruitment processes must avoid overreliance on ‘expert patients’ and ensure a diverse range of voices are heard. Clear, jargon-free language and targeted outreach are crucial to achieving meaningful, representative patient participation.

Fourth, the NHS must place a greater emphasis on understanding a range of patient experiences. Over-recruiting highly engaged expert patients risks missing the voices of the average patient. Diversity — in background, experience, and viewpoint — is essential if healthcare policies and service delivery are to meet the real needs of the whole population.

Fifth, patients called for a more effective feedback loop. Too often, patients contribute their insights without knowing whether, or how, their views have influenced decisions. Good practice, like that shown by NICE, where detailed feedback charts are provided, must become standard across the health system.

Finally, true involvement in decision-making must be the goal. Patients should not just advise at the margins, but co-create policies, procedures, and service models. Decision-making processes need to reviewed so that early, structured involvement through pre-engagement forums can ensure policies are rooted in lived experience from the start.

Austin Willett of charity Different Strokes reminds us that patient involvement should not be seen as a ‘nice to have’ but as a core, strategic necessity.

The 10-Year Health Plan presents a vital opportunity. If the NHS can embed meaningful patient involvement in how it adopts and deploys medical technology, it will not only improve service delivery but also empower patients, drive innovation, and ultimately, save lives.

April 2025