20 YEARS IN HEALTH TECH


the final manufacture, you cannot onshore the manufacture of all of the components and materials. We need to think about this from a procurement perspective. If you buy big, and only buy once, at low cost, you only have one supplier. This gives you less flexibility. “For some products, we have relied on


the Far East. We know that NHS supply chain is now keenly looking at their supply chain mapping. But the bottom line is that there are some countries where the expertise sits – that is really difficult to manage. If you are to address this, it requires Governments to make investment decisions. The fact is that manufacture in the UK is more expensive than in China. Is the NHS willing to pay for that? In tough times, the answer is usually no…” She points out that, although there has been a lot of talk of ‘how we can change things’, even production lines of domestic PPE are now having to shut down in some parts of the UK, as people are reverting to buying from sources in the Far East – because it is cheaper.


The future So, what will be the important trends for the future and how will HealthTech evolve over the next ten years? Trickett points out that HealthTech will continue to advance minimally invasive surgical techniques, bringing increased benefits for patients and healthcare providers alike – such as faster recovery, shorter bed stays, less pain and reduced risk of infection. “20 years ago, laparoscopic surgery was


new; now it is routine. Surgeons now think laparoscopic first and only move to open surgery when the complexity is a deciding factor. In the next 10 years, we can expect much more in the way of minimally invasive techniques and technologies to support this. We are just scratching the surface of robot- assisted surgery. The robots are going to become even smarter, and we are going to do much more remotely,” she predicts. Evans predicts that we will see a convergence of traditional medical devices, diagnostics, and internet technologies. “These technologies used to be siloed, but this trend for convergence is set to accelerate – as an example, this may include a smart inhaler that alerts you when you are entering a high pollen area.”


Brown says that patients will demand more as their knowledge and awareness increases with access to online information and digital resources. “This will put pressure on manufacturers to think more about this – we will become more patient-driven in how we approach things,” he comments. For Davies, the explosion of data offers huge potential. “It will all happen in the Metaverse,” he concludes.


NOVEMBER 2022


We can expect much more in the way of minimally invasive techniques and technologies... We are just scratching the surface of robot assisted surgery. The robots


are going to become even smarter. Luella Trickett, ABHI, director of value & access


Andrew Davies


Andrew is responsible for working with partners to ensure that the UK maximises the opportunities for citizen health and economic wealth by appropriate investment in data driven healthcare. A vital element of this is building on the unique opportunities delivered by the NHS to enable industry to access robust, well-curated data within a strong ethical framework. Coupled with close engagement with national bodies to evolve regulatory and reimbursement systems, the aim is to create a strong infrastructure and commercial environment that can support the development and widespread adoption of the best HealthTech solutions. He has over 25 years’ experience, having worked within MedTech divisions of household names such as Thorn EMI, Philips and Bristol-Myers Squibb.


Phil Brown


Phil started his career at Smith and Nephew qualifying as a Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1984, before joining the Company’s Woundcare Regulatory Affairs team at the time when the Medical Device Directive was being enacted. Company moves to Genzyme Biosurgery, Quintiles, Wright Medical Technology and more latterly Kinetic Concepts Inc., (an Acelity company), included work with novel technologies, liaising with National Authorities, the European Commission, Trade Associations and standards bodies on issues related to regulation and ethics. Phil extended his Trade Association work by joining the ABHI in June 2016 as the director responsible for regulatory and compliance matters. Phil is a Fellow of TOPRA and lectures at the Sheffield Hallam University on medical device regulatory frameworks. He also chairs the UK BSI’s CH/210 working group.


CSJ WWW.CLINICALSERVICESJOURNAL.COM l 31 Luella Trickett


Luella joined ABHI in 2019, with over 25 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and HealthTech industries. Her career has seen her hold numerous specialist manufacturing and commercial roles at Baxter Healthcare, with responsibility for a range of product portfolios across the HealthTech spectrum within the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2012, Luella was seconded to the Department of Health for nine months as the Industry Liaison for the NHS Procurement Review, a role which saw her engage with government and the wider Life Sciences sector to facilitate the sharing of ideas and best practice. From 2015, Luella led Baxter Healthcare’s Government Affairs and Public Policy agenda, where she was tasked with managing key policies impacting the HealthTech sector.


Jonathan Evans


Jonathan is responsible for setting and implementing ABHI’s communications strategy. As the public face of ABHI, it is critical that the communications function effectively relays the Association’s key priorities to members, the NHS, government and wider stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. A member of MedTech Europe’s Communications Committee, Jonathan is also part of the Medical Technology Group’s management committee. A graduate of Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, in his previous role Jonathan led the communications department of Ataxia UK, the national charity for people affected by the neurological condition, ataxia. Prior to this, Jonathan worked in PR.


Jonathan was part of the BBC’s 2010 ‘Blast’ cohort, a national training scheme for budding communications professionals coordinated by the BBC.


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