Connecting Development Partners for Medtech Devices

NHS consultancy Health Enterprise East (HEE) has launched online portal MEDTECH Connect as a key pillar of the MedTech NAVIGATOR programme, a scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by HEE to enhance knowledge-sharing between NHS practitioners and the medtech industry on a free to access basis.

Tapping into clinical expertise during the a device’s early development phase is vital to ensure products will help to address specific needs; however companies might currently struggle to identify research active clinicians who might be best placed to offer these insights.

By the same token, primary and secondary care clinicians have the opportunity to engage with industry innovators to co-develop the latest medical advances, with support and guidance from HEE where required.

Dr Chris Warwick, Senior Consultant at HEE, said: “In our experience, the quickest and most effective way to get new technologies that truly meet patients’ needs to market is for NHS experts and the medtech industry to work more closely together from the outset. MedTech CONNECT allows for easy, tailored two-way access which we believe could yield far-reaching benefits for patients, in terms of swifter access to innovative technologies. By removing some of the bureaucracy that can hamper innovation, we are confident that MedTech CONNECT will accelerate medtech adoption in our health service and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”

Additional details on MedTech CONNECT and the MedTech NAVIGATOR programme can be found online