Exploring Innovation within the NHS: A Look from the Procurement Angle
The NHS Supply Chain's Innovation team, situated at the intersection of procurement and clinical expertise, is revolutionising the way medical technologies are adopted within the National Health Service (NHS). With a focus on patient outcomes, supplier sustainability, and long-term system value, the team is driving change and fostering innovation.
Over the past 12 months, the team has updated the Medical Technology Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to streamline and expedite access to ground-breaking medical technologies. This innovative approach to procurement is exemplified by the availability of five innovative products, including Sonata, a system combining real-time intrauterine ultrasound guidance with radiofrequency ablation, offering a less invasive alternative to hysterectomy and myomectomy.
The MedTech Compass initiative aims to deliver 'Innovator passports' to accelerate MedTech adoption and deliver Value Based Procurement. The DPS focuses on outcome-driven processes, addressing patient safety, cost efficiencies, and clinical outcomes by fostering collaboration between suppliers and trusts.
The DPS offers a more agile procurement process, always open, with simplified approval, a focus on innovation, and a system that reduces the burden on suppliers, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The team works closely with value-based procurement colleagues to build an evidence base and supports suppliers, especially SMEs, with education, guidance, and resilience planning.
The DPS offers support to SMEs to navigate the system with ease. It operates as a dynamic marketplace where new suppliers and technologies can join at any time, lowering market-entry barriers and ensuring the NHS can continuously access the latest medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health products.
The DPS now includes expanded categories for emerging medical technology areas. By centralising purchasing at the national level and using an internal marketplace, the DPS helps ensure consistent delivery and equitable access to high-impact health technologies across all NHS trusts, reducing unwarranted variation in uptake.
The DPS reinforces the commitment to making it easier for suppliers and NHS organizations to work together, driving patient-focused innovation across the healthcare system. The DPS supports the expanded remit of NICE’s technology appraisal system beyond medicines to cover selected medical devices, diagnostics, and digital products. This is the first national framework aimed at funding and scaling innovative health technologies comprehensively across the NHS.
The DPS backs the UK’s HealthTech and MedTech industries by reducing procurement complexity and speeding up adoption paths, fostering innovation aligned with NHS priorities. The mission of the Innovation team is to make innovation accessible, and the DPS is a testament to that mission.
For more information about the DPS and its progress, visit the NHS Supply Chain website at www.supplychain.nhs.uk. The DPS will continue to update regularly on its website about the positive changes it brings to NHS trusts nationwide.
- The Innovation team, through the Medical Technology Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), is fostering innovation in health-and-wellness, specifically medical technologies, by streamlining access to ground-breaking products.
- The DPS offers a supportive environment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), promoting their growth in the finance and investing sector, including wealth-management and business, by reducing market-entry barriers.
- The DPS is a platform for education-and-self-development, providing guidance, resilience planning, and support to SMEs, contributing to the personal-finance and career growth of these businesses.
- Through the DPS, the team is driving change in the technology industry, centralizing purchasing at the national level for medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health products, ensuring equitable access across all NHS trusts.
- The DPS is a significant step towards the adoption of Value Based Procurement in the medical-conditions sector, aligning with NHS priorities and making innovation more accessible for the betterment of patient outcomes.
