NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative has confirmed that no new technologies will join its MedTech funding mandate for 2023/24.
The programme launched in 2021 to accelerate the uptake of selected innovative medical devices, diagnostics and digital products, and support the adoption of these technologies.
To date the programme has supported 11 innovations, including a blood test to rule out pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, a tool that creates a 3D model of a patient’s coronary arteries and assesses the extent and location of blockages (Heartflow), and a handheld device which alleviates the symptoms of severe cluster headaches (Gammacore).
In an update made this month, the programme stated: “We have decided that no additional technologies will be added to the MedTech funding mandate for 2023/24.”
Support for the innovations on the programme will continue in which it’s asking systems to prioritise the adoption of these technologies, stating “all of these technologies offer cost savings and improved patient outcomes and experiences”.
On the impact of the programme the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative highlighted that: “During 2021/22, the monthly number of patients accessing Heartflow increased by 35% and over the year, the innovation created over £2.2 million worth of savings for the NHS.”
For Gammacore, a handheld and non-invasive device which stimulates the vagus nerve, used to treat and prevent the symptoms of severe cluster headaches, 19 trusts have fully adopted the tool.
Some of the innovations in the programme include: UroLift, a system that lifts and holds the enlarged prostate tissue away from the urethra, relieving the compression of this organ; Rezum, a minimally invasive procedure that uses water vapour (steam) to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, with the technology said to deliver targeted, controlled doses of stored thermal energy in water vapour directly to the region of the prostate gland with the obstructive tissue causing lower urinary tract symptoms; Thopaz+, a portable digital chest drain system that provides regulated negative pressure close to the patient’s chest and continuously monitors and records air leak and fluid drainage.
To find out more, visit the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative here.
