How you can navigate the next year in healthcare

The impact of the pandemic will continue to be felt long after restrictions end. COVID-19 has already changed the face of healthcare, prompting an acceleration of the digitisation agenda; a renewed appreciation of the diagnostic and life sciences industry; and unprecedented cross-system collaboration to manage safe access to and discharge across care settings. But it has also accelerated the pace at which change is possible. The rapid approval of COVID-19 vaccines is one example of a new model for how we can accelerate the pace of innovations, shortening the journey from lab bench to bedside.

However, as the NHS seeks to build back better, it will face significant challenges, necessitating new ways of working. A culture of collaboration and investment across the public and private sectors will prove essential to responding to these barriers. To ensure that you are at the heart of this process, industry and the third sector will need to engage on areas of shared priority. You will need to provide answers to the questions that are being asked, developing constructive, implementable solutions as to how they can be delivered.

So, what should these priorities be? How can your organisation help to drive policy development, supporting the national effort to build back better?

1. Shaping new models of care:

   2021 will usher in a new phase of NHS reorganisation, with integrated care systems (ICSs) to be enshrined in legislation and a new NHS reform bill. Realising this vision will require an examination of the settings in which care is delivered, with a renewed focus on optimising patient pathways. In some instances, the pandemic accelerated these trends – such as delivering care at home or virtually, away from hospital settings – however there is still much more that can be done. The next 12 months will therefore be a critical time to engage the NHS – at a national level or via new regional and local bodies – to discuss how services can and should be reoriented, reflecting scientific advances and changes to diagnosis, management and treatment. Building on the spirit of Government, NHS and industry collaboration which has characterised the pandemic, there is a real opportunity to drive demonstrable change.

2. Resetting public perception of life sciences:

   Typically, pharmaceutical companies have been seen in an unfairly negative light. However, COVID-19 can be a watershed moment to change this perception. The development and approval of vaccines within ten months has demonstrated the significant value that pharmaceutical R&D brings, and the unique capability of industry to respond to healthcare challenges. However, this shift in perceptions is not a done deal. Trust in the industry remains low, with fewer than half of people surveyed at the end of 2020 trusting the pharmaceutical industry to act in the best interest of society. There is an important and time limited opportunity for the industry to demonstrate the wider value of your research and development – to patients, to the NHS and Government and to wider society as a whole.

3. Leveraging new visibility of the diagnostics sector:

   Diagnostic testing has been at the centre of the UK’s response to the pandemic. Previously underprioritised and its benefits vaguely understood, COVID-19 has shone a light on the strategic importance the industry brings. However, the immediate fanfare associated with ‘gamechanging’ testing was soon replaced with heavy scrutiny. This related to manufacturing capacity and supply; accuracy of tests; and challenges around communication. Whilst the diagnostics sector – and MedTech as a whole – should remain positive about the next 12 months, there is work to be done to ensure that greater awareness translates into an improved policy environment. You will need to build on the experiences of the pandemic, using this as a catalyst for a wider conversation on the future of the sector, mapping out the policy change which will enable the Government’s goal of developing a world-leading diagnostics industry.

COVID-19 has changed the face of healthcare. The value of medical innovation has never been more understood; the need to better integrate and revisit service design is clear; and there is an opportunity for greater NHS – industry collaboration. However, these opportunities are time limited and should not be considered a done deal. To maintain momentum will require effective engagement to cut through the noise, delivering long-term sustainable change.  

We can help you achieve this. We can help you to shape tomorrow. 

The most significant challenge in the UK, for those favouring a new system, is to persuade government to take action. Ministers have been keen to present the UK as a world leader in regulating the internet, most particularly to address online harms, but progress has been delayed. This is despite significant momentum behind recommendations for reform of the competition regime, particularly as online platforms have come under scrutiny from policy makers for example, over personal data use, choices and protections given to consumers.

However, like any other major government initiative, recommendations for reform need to be assessed in light of Brexit and COVID-19. Will they go ahead and in what form?

The government is waiting for advice from its Digital Markets Taskforce about implementation of a new competition regime. This will have reference to recommendations from Jason Furman’s digital competition expert panel, which the government accepted earlier this year. Those proposals ranged from an overarching code of competitive conduct for the largest platforms, to significant increases in transparency on algorithms and data usage, improved interoperability between platforms and a duty to enforce a fairness-by-design standard. There are a number of questions about how this could be enacted which need to be addressed, especially with other regulatory initiatives in the frame too.

Whichever path the government chooses, new regulation will require complex legislation. However, parliamentary time is at a premium while ministers grapple with the economic recovery and geopolitical considerations such as the US trade deal negotiations could also be a factor. As a result, the government may be hesitant to make significant interventions in the short-term.