Problems Irish HealthTech companies face with the NHS
The NHS is a difficult system for HealthTech companies to understand and navigate. Companies often need help to align their solution with NHS priorities; understand the evidence their solution needs; find out who will pay for their solution; and how to write a business case that will convince decision-makers that they need them.
Since September 2023, we have been working closely with Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government’s enterprise development agency, to deliver briefing sessions to 20 Irish HealthTech companies. These were designed to educate them on the NHS systems and structures, evidence required to support adoption, and how to shape an NHS value proposition.
Some of the common challenges the Irish innovators faced when trying to navigate the NHS, include:
Understanding NHS priorities
The NHS focuses on specific needs and puts funding pots behind these priorities – such as all trusts to have an EPR by 2025 or for trusts to create 10,000 virtual beds. If you can align your solution with a funding pot, it not only strengthens your case for securing funding but also positions your company as a contributing factor to driving positive change within the NHS ecosystem.
Several of the Irish companies we collaborated with encountered a significant hurdle in effectively aligning their messaging with the priorities of the NHS. For example, when working with MyPatientSpace through a Discovery Workshop, we were able to redefine and articulate how their solution resonated with several priorities including NHS net zero targets, as remote monitoring technologies are a huge contributing factor to achieving this achieving this.
Knowing your route to engagement
Now you understand the priorities, who do you plan to send your key messages to? There is no one route into the NHS. You need to find out who funds the area that you work in, who the key stakeholders are, and the ‘rules of engagement’.
This is a common challenge that innovators encounter and, typically, they are speaking to the wrong people or not understanding the difference between supporters and commissioners. By understanding what the solution is and the market they are operating in, we can help identify the organisations and roles they need to target. It could be the CEO/COO, transformation team, or finance director at a trust, a GP Partner in primary care, an ICS/ICB director – you need to nail down the problem you are solving and the priority you’re contributing to before understanding who the decision-maker in that area is, and when to contact them in the NHS annual cycle.
A great place to start conversations with stakeholders and understand what challenges they are facing is at exhibitions and conferences, through both presentations and networking opportunities. Enterprise Ireland joined HIC at NHS Confed Expo 2024 along with three Enterprise Ireland companies—MyPatientSpace, xWave Technologies, and T-Pro—as part of the HIC innovation zone.
Evidencing your impact
Early-stage companies often only consider the impact of their solution on the direct customer, for example, the patient. However, it is critical to map out the impact on a patient, population, service and national level – and staff. Your solution may be adopted in a number of GP surgeries and have evidence of clinical effectiveness and safety, but what’s the impact on the wider community and national stakeholders?
As an example, with an Irish technology company we worked with, we tailored an NHS use case focusing specifically on Parkinson’s Disease. We explored how their solution would affect stakeholders, outlining the problem, solution, impact, and value at each stakeholder level on this specific area.
Outlining use cases is a great starting point, however, to scale up, real world evidence at an NHS site is crucial.
Understanding funding routes
HealthTech companies need funding, but first, it’s important to have a strong business model and understand how it will generate revenue. From this you can determine which funding route is best and you can create a pitch deck and business plan that outlines your financial needs and your budget impact model.
There are several avenues such as funding through investors, from angels to VCs; government grants; open calls through Innovate UK, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and others or through trusts and charities such as The Health Foundation; through strategic partnerships; and submitting bids for NHS tenders.
The discussion on funding pathways was a key topic during our AMR Innovation Programme, revealing specific funding routes that some participants were not aware of such as targeted grants through the NIHR and providers additional access to funding pots to address a demand or priority.
Novus Diagnostics, an Irish company on the programme, emphasised the programmes impact, stating, “The HIC AMR Innovation programme was a fantastic opportunity to connect with other AMR innovators and learn from experts who can accelerate our path to the clinic.”
By addressing these key areas, the Irish HealthTech companies we have been working closely with can navigate the complexities of the UK healthcare system more effectively. Through ongoing collaboration and knowledge-sharing initiatives, HIC remains committed to supporting innovators on their journey towards success in the UK healthcare market and the ongoing partnership with Enterprise Ireland highlights this.
For more information on how we can support your organisations journey to NHS market success, please contact us.