New payment scheme accelerates uptake of medtech devices and apps for the NHS

A new payment system that will allow for the accelerated uptake of medtech devices and apps by NHS England has been announced.

The Innovation and Technology Tariff will remove the need for multiple local price negotiations, allowing NHS England to negotiate national ‘bulk buy’ price discounts for hospitals, GPS and patients. The tariff will also guarantee automatic reimbursement when an approved innovation is used.

As part of the Innovation and Technology Tariff, six innovations have been selected to benefit a variety of patients. Women giving birth, patients with chronic lung problems, men having urological surgery and acutely ill inpatients will all benefit from innovations vital to improving the quality of care for these patients.

The innovation categories that will join the national NHS payment scheme include, guided mediolateral episiotomy scissors to minimise the risk of obstetric injury, atrial connecting systems to reduce bacterial contamination and the accidental administration of medication, pneumonia prevention systems which are designed to stop ventilator-associated pneumonia, web based applications for the self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, frozen microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection rates and prostatic urethral lift systems to treat lower urinary tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia as a day case. 

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: “The NHS has a proud track record of world firsts in medical innovation but getting wide uptake has often been far too slow. Our new payment system brings clarity on fast track funding to get groundbreaking new treatments and technologies to NHS patients. Many of them not only improve care but will save the NHS money too.”

There will also be central funding for CCGs to purchase mobile ECG devices, to help patients measure atrial fibrillation through mobile ECG technology which can help prevent strokes.

Peter Ellingworth, chief executive of Association of British Healthcare Industries said: “This welcome new approach from NHS England will help ensure a robust, accessible and effective scheme that provides timely patient access to a wide range of medical technologies. We look forward to working with NHS England to implement these changes – and helping to develop an expanded scheme for 2018/19”

NHS England aim to expand the number of innovations covered by the tariff in future years through a wider scheme that has been designed with industry, the NHS and the Academic Health Science Networks.

Dr Liz Mear, chair of the AHSN Network, said: “AHSNs and their partners provide a key role in getting new treatment innovations adopted into the NHS for the benefit of patients and the population. As a national network we have worked with NHS England to support the introduction of the Innovation and Technology tariff and will support NHS organisations wanting to embrace innovation to help them get the latest medtech devices and services to their patients as quickly as possible.”