[2] In November 2023, the Medical Technology Group called for a full review into Community Diagnostic Centres and Surgical Hubs in its second report into the elective care backlog.
[3] Following an investigation revealing regional variation in best practice sharing and performance reviews, chair of the MTG Barbara Harpham expressed concern that some patients could be missing out on the latest medical technology.
Research into the structures, policies and processes of the country’s 42 Integrated Care Systems found that, while there are examples of best practice, 40 percent of them had no formal patient involvement in Board meetings and subcommittees.
In September 2022, the Medical Technology Group published a report[7] on patient referral data from NHS England for all completed pathways, as well as specialised treatment areas including general surgery, cardiology and orthopaedics.
The report revealed the best performing regions in England, with some hospitals in the southwest and northeast treating up to three times as many patients as those in London and the Midlands, and shared examples of best practice.
The Health Service Journal published an article[8] in October 2022 by Chair of the MTG, Barbara Harpham, which examined the need for organisations to share best practices in order to improve care within the NHS.
The report highlights the achievements in medical technology in the past two decades and includes contributions from Rachel Power, CEO of the Patients Association, Dean Russell MP, and health innovation policy expert, Paul Blakeley.
Among its recommendations, the report emphasises the need for a single pathway to support innovators to effectively navigate the system, guaranteed funding and commissioning, as well as the importance of including patients in decisions around a technology’s adoption.
[17] Other findings were that almost half of CCGs limit access to hernia repair and many take a 'watchful waiting' approach, which can increase emergency cases and lead to worse patient outcomes.
"[18][19] In 2019 the Medical Technology Group launched a campaign 'Ration Watch' calling for a national body to scrutinise decisions by individual CCGs and ensure patient access to treatments is consistent across the country.
[21] Writing on the BMA website, MTG Chair Barbara Harpham said: "Until it puts an end to its perverse incentives, the NHS will never truly embrace technology and realise its benefits.
[23] Building on the Work Foundation's 2011 study,[24] the report explores the societal and economic impact of eight technologies: hip replacements; implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs); insulin pumps; diagnostics, including sepsis; fibroid embolisation; pain management; wound care; and coronary angioplasty.
[25] A review of all 209 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England – published in August 2017 – revealed wide variation in waiting times and access to medical technology for patients.
[26] It found that nine out of ten of the poorest performing CCGs were based in the south of England and that almost three times more patients were waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment compared with November 2012.
The scorecard reviewed progress against the six areas identified by the NHS as those where clinical commissioning groups and acute trusts could improve patient care through high impact innovations.
The report, which was welcomed by the British Society of Interventional Radiologists, highlighted a lack of coherent commissioning in England, despite National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines recommending UFE as a first-line treatment for symptomatic fibroids.