After a historic general election in the UK, with the Conservatives ending up with the lowest number of seats in the party’s history, and Sir Keir Starmer becoming the nation’s Prime Minister, MTI reached out to contacts in the UK MedTech industry to gain insights into what the future looks like for the MedTech landscape in the country. Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, was appointed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in Starmer’s Cabinet, and Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, was appointed as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Chris Whitehouse, Director at Whitehouse Communications and an advisor to medtech suppliers, chair of the Urology Trade Association, and governor of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre
Labour’s landslide majority in the UK general election, which saw the party swept into power, should be good news for the medtech sector.
The party’s manifesto committed them to drive innovation and its uptake, saying:
‘The revolution taking place in data and life sciences has the potential to transform our nation’s healthcare. The Covid-19 pandemic showed how a strong mission-driven industrial strategy, involving government partnering with industry and academia, could turn the tide on a pandemic. This is the approach we will take in government. As part of Labour’s life sciences plan, we will develop an NHS innovation and adoption strategy in England. This will include a plan for procurement, giving a clearer route to get products into the NHS coupled with reformed incentive structures to drive innovation and faster regulatory approval for new technology and medicines.’
They now have the votes in parliament, and the mandate from the electorate to deliver on these commitments.
Wes Streeting, Shadow Health Secretary in the run-up to the general election, survived a very close-run electoral outcome as Gaza became a huge issue in his constituency given its high Muslim population, scraping through by just a few hundred votes in the end. Now Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Streeting will want personally to hit the ground running to deliver on his manifesto commitments.
The early appointment of former Government Chief Scientist, Sir Patrick Vallance, to the House of Lords and as Minister for Science at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is an inspired move that will bring his expertise directly into the heart of the new government as a boost for those promoting the benefits of the life sciences sector.
Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect
Waiting lists should be one of the biggest priorities for the incoming Labour government, or we could be looking at a new normal of waiting lists remaining stubbornly high in the future?
The new Government desperately needs to appreciate that the NHS is in a bad position. It’s dangerous to do the opposite because it hides the extent of the problem.
NHS staff, including management have been battered by reducing budgets, and we need some radical changes, rather than more of the same “cut cut cut” mentality.
I think it’s time for a national approach set centrally by NHS England. Decide on the best ideas for impacting waiting lists and fund them centrally. Pay hospitals, GPs and commissioners for rolling out the strategies. And measure, measure, measure to make sure it’s working.
For example, we’ve found that waiting lists for many specialties can be reduced by between a third and a half when consultants “triage” referrals on the waiting list. It’s quick, cheap and can be rolled out centrally. Try that with a couple of other good ideas and you’ll start to see results by September. It will work better than what we’re currently doing.
Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at MEPC Milton Park
With the results in, we welcome the renewed confidence and stability the sector will have in the wake of the election. The new Labour Government has made bold commitments to continue to support the UK’s science and tech capabilities. We want to work closely in partnership with Peter Kyle and his team going forward, to realise the built environment’s potential in unlocking economic growth.
Milton Park’s ten-day Local Development Order is an example of that collaboration in practice. A streamlined planning process, it has seen a joined-up approach across local government, innovation clusters and the built environment, which allows Milton Park and its occupiers to quickly capitalise on growth opportunities.
When partnerships like those work, they can truly turbocharge the UK’s world-leading R&D capabilities and strengthen the demand for flexible laboratory and commercial space across the UK’s innovation ecosystem.
Afshin Attari, Director of Public Sector, Exponential-e
Our new Government’s manifesto talked about the opportunity for transformation, but it was light on detail of how that transformation is going to happen in practice. Labour have said they will commit to using technology potentially AI by removing planning barriers to new datacentres to speed up diagnostic services and improve accuracy which is a forward-thinking approach that could significantly improve healthcare outcomes.
However, the challenge lies within the legacy and burden of dated and unsuitable policies which are stifling this much needed change. The success of using AI in diagnostics and transforming the NHS patient outcomes relies heavily on the availability of skilled personnel, robust infrastructure and a substantial investment in cybersecurity to protect sensitive patient data from breaches and cyberattacks.
Newly elected policy makers will need to unburden the NHS and provide the opportunity to deliver better patient outcomes within the challenging budgetary restraints. Keir Starmer’s Government will now need to engage with credible, agile organisations so they can marry the ideas of their pre-election manifesto with reality.
More comment to follow as we receive it
