Thought leadership

At present, the NHS is facing challenges with its demand and capacity, workforce and staffing, as well as pressures in the provision of social care. But beyond these immediate challenges, there is an equally pressing need for long-term innovation, reform and greater operational efficiency. While the idea may sound hollow to those on the frontlines, the NHS could – and should – improve its pace of innovation, whether it comes from science or from peers. 
Research by Kelsea R Little, MSc graduate of King’s College London, gathered from ten interviewees within London’s healthtech and medical technology ecosystem, showed that while London has a significant potential and ability to become a global hub for health innovation, there are organisational, cultural, and commercial barriers that need to be addressed first. <h4>The barriers: knowledge, regulation, funding </h4>
Despite a collective understanding of a need for research and modernisation within the NHS, the research shows that there is limited space to innovate. This is fuelled by antiquated working practices, structural barriers that do not allow space or freedom to explore innovation, and those on the frontline not always being encouraged to modernise.
A lack of communication between the health and the tech industries prevents the transfer of health discoveries from an academic environment to a commercial environment.
Likewise, regulation poses an overwhelming barrier. Many developers are not educated on health technology regulation standards and intellectual property procedures, and must therefore overcome several layers of complex certifications, procedures and laws through their own research or through partnerships with experts. 
Finally, access to funding poses another hurdle. Many innovators are unaware of how to pursue funding. Respondents in the survey also cited a lack of standardisation across organisations as impeding the pace of adoption of innovations and their impact at scale. <h4>Can we forecast innovation?</h4>
Despite its challenges, London has the potential to become a global health hub for innovation thanks to its strong healthcare network, vast talent, wealth and unique global position. 
This year will mark the first full year of operation for the 42 new statutory integrated care boards (ICBs). First established in July 2022, ICBs have a “statutory duty to facilitate or otherwise promote research and […] innovation”. But can the healthcare industry go one step further, and forecast innovation? 
An artificial intelligence framework built by MIT researchers shows that this might be possible. ‘DELPHI’ can give an “early-alert” signal for future high-impact technologies, by learning from patterns gleaned from previous scientific publications in biotechnology. 
These predictions are based in the understanding that people are often resistant to new things and great innovation arises from the “adjacent possible”. Meaning that many discoveries are often based on current, but improved, findings. 
There is an opportunity for the NHS to implement these tools and get one step ahead of the curve. Coupled with the creation of an inclusive community of early-stage innovators via accelerators and incubators, simplified regulatory demands and support in bringing research to market, the NHS can become a world leader in innovation.
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Research into London’s healthtech and medical technology industry highlighted several barriers to innovation in the capital.

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