As the 77th anniversary of the NHS approached, the government published its 10 Year Health Plan, Fit for the Future. In a foreword, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer says this will build “a truly modern NHS that delivers the best and fastest treatment for patients and offers taxpayers better value for money.”
As predicted, the plan is built around “three shifts.” First, “from hospital to community,” which it says will put more care on people’s doorsteps, through better GP access, new neighbourhood health centres, and digital services.
Second, “from sickness to prevention,” which it says will “catch illness before its spreads and prevent it in the first place” through a combination of “place-based” initiatives and consumer action to “make the healthy choice the easy choice.”
And third, “from analogue to digital,” which it says will “liberate staff from time-wasting admin” and make interaction with health and wellness services “as easy as online banking or shopping.” But what does all this mean for digital health suppliers?
In this blog, Highland Marketing examines the structural and financial changes that the plan says will be needed to bring about its reforms – which will shape the health tech market for years to come. We also look at some of its specific health tech commitments – and how you can adjust your positioning, PR, marketing, and sales activity to make the most of them.
During the general election campaign, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said there would be “no top-down reorganisation of the NHS” – yet one is now underway. In future, there will be a smaller centre, as NHS England is merged into the Department of Health and Social Care, seven regions, and many fewer integrated care boards, focused on “strategic commissioning.”
There will also be a shake-up of providers. The plan says there will be “reinvented” foundation trusts that will be able to vertically integrate with community and primary care services to become integrated health organisations; and new contracts for polyclinic-style health centres.
The take-away for health tech vendors: The new NHS operating model will disrupt the relationships that suppliers have established with their customers; but new structures will mean new customers and new opportunities.
Revamped foundation trusts and neighbourhood health services will be looking for technology to manage their operations effectively, while laying the groundwork for the shift from analogue to digital. But to succeed, you will need to be aligned with the market at a national and local level, and ready to work with early adopters.
How Highland Marketing can help: Highland Marketing has more than 20 years’ experience in the health tech sector. Our experienced team and industry advisors mean we are uniquely placed to help you research the market, refine your positioning, and create strategic campaigns that will keep you front of mind with policy makers and customers alike.
In the June spending review, chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the NHS will get another £29 billion per year over the next three years, and that £10 billion will go into IT and transformation. However, the money will be rapidly eaten up by inflation, wages, demand and waiting lists.
Against this background, NHS England transition director Sir James Mackey has made it clear trusts must stop running deficits and still deliver productivity improvements of 2% a year – which will reduce the headroom for reform. Over the longer-term, there will be a return to payment by results and whole-life tariffs, to give providers incentives to keep people well and treat them promptly.
The take-away for health tech vendors: The government may have a plan for reform, but in a tough financial climate, providers are likely to be focused on cost savings and waiting lists in the short term. Suppliers with productivity solutions should find a keen audience, but other vendors may find themselves playing a longer game, in which visibility and credibility are key.
How we can help: Highland Marketing can help you craft public affairs and PR campaigns that will establish you as a thought leader and put your success stories and proof points in front of the media and potential customers. Needless to say, in today’s digital world, we can also amplify your PR efforts through effective social media.
The 10 Year Health Plan has little to say about NHS digital infrastructure, the roll-out of electronic patient records, or enterprise systems in key areas such as diagnostics and information sharing (although it does promise single sign-on and AI scribes).
Instead, its big IT announcements are a new, single patient record and a big expansion of the NHS App. Overall, the plan suggests that more NHS IT will be centrally directed – and there are specific proposals for a national early-warning system and a national platform for virtual wards.
The plan also places what it calls five “big bets” on “transformative technologies” – data, AI, genomics, wearables, and advanced robotics. In the AI space, it says there will be a new regulatory framework for AI devices, and a roadmap for deployment. Industry lobbyists and suppliers are now hoping that more, detailed strategies and roadmaps will follow.
The take-way for health tech vendors: The government’s decision to invest in NHS IT is a vote of confidence in the industry. Tech bodies and big suppliers want more details, but as these are sorted out, there should be opportunities for vendors at all levels.
That will mean suppliers that can make the case for improving creaking infrastructure, completing the roll-out of enterprise systems, and finding and deploying the technology that will turn the government’s big bets into wins for staff and patients on the ground.
To succeed, suppliers will need to turn their ideas, products, and case studies into effective marketing, sales, and direct engagement materials that will resonate with the providers, staff, and patients who need them.
How we can help: Highland Marketing has always believed that your customers are your best advocates, and we can help them to help you tell your story, through compelling media releases, webinars, and case studies, data-driven content.
We also have experience of creating world-leading sales enablement tools and can support you with a sales acceleration team that really understands the NHS and how to secure appointments. Plus, we can put you in front of the operations managers and clinicians who matter…
There are lots of good things in Fit for the Future for suppliers. The NHS is facing a difficult few years, as the government cracks down on deficits, drives through a reorganisation, and looks to deliver its waiting list commitments.
But the plan sets a direction of travel for the medium to long term that companies can plan against and lays out a digital future for the health system with priorities to guide investment. There should also be some money. In addition to Reeves’ £10 billion over three years, the plan says trusts should set aside 3% annually for transformation initiatives.
A further welcome line is that the government is looking to work in partnership “with those creating exciting new technologies” and to making sure that “patients have access to their products.”
This should create significant opportunities at a national, provider, and innovation level. But to succeed you will need: excellent market knowledge, great positioning; a voice in the national debate; local supporters; and the marketing and sales materials to attract others.
Highland Marketing is uniquely placed to support companies in this rapidly evolving landscape, thanks to our mix of intelligence, marketing, PR, sales and direct engagement. Our contact details are here, and we’d love to talk.
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