Clinical engineering “I’ve just retired from the NHS, having spent
over 40 years designing and developing medical equipment, and running equipment management departments. I’m very proud of what the clinical engineering community has collectively done to build systems of control and lifecycle management systems, but it makes me reflect on where we need to go next. This session will encourage you to think about the future roles, the Authorising Engineer Medical Devices role, and the roles that we provide currently. I want it to be a call to arms – for you to go away and reflect on what part you can play in building the future of clinical engineering.” He pointed out that very few people have
a career that looks exactly how they planned: “Many of the most successful people I know in clinical engineering took the opportunities in front of them, while periodically reflecting on whether their direction of travel was aligned with their goals,” he continued. “I’ve loved every minute of bringing new equipment into service and ensuring it’s safe. We now have very good systems of control in place, but what are the next steps for us?...I think there’s a real need for us to have a discussion as a community about what our services should look like,” Richard Scott asserted. He acknowledged that it can be “frustrating and a bit lonely” if you are just working at the bench on individual bits of equipment. “You probably get frustrated. You probably want to see change happen or people listen to you more about what equipment needs replacing, or how we can make equipment safer. I would encourage everyone to be proactive. I’ve made it my business to stick my nose in everywhere, in clinical areas, and to try to influence what’s going on,” he commented. He added that clinical engineers need to consider how they can change what the hospital buys and how it uses equipment: “My first piece of advice is to get involved – even if it’s going beyond your specific job description. We all have
a role to play in the proactive management of assets in our organisation. Stick your head above the parapet and get involved.” He also pointed out that the NHS is being
challenged to treat patients in different places, outside of the traditional hospital setting, with a greater focus on prevention. We will see the increasing adoption of digital solutions. “Who is going to bring in this new technology? Who is going to move that technology from the hospital to the community? I would argue that we, as clinical engineers, have a key role to play in that. If you think someone is going to seek you out in your workshops and ask you to do it, that’s not going to happen. We need to be on the front foot going out, explaining the part we can play,” Richard Scott asserted. “I’ve seen lots of pieces of equipment
introduced into the community. However, without sufficient backup or support, what is going happen on a Sunday afternoon when that particular bit of kit fails? What will the patient and their family do? We need to be arguing and articulating for really robust equipment management,” he warned.
Working with the MedTech sector EBME Expo also followed the launch of the government’s industrial strategy and Richard Scott pointed out that the medical technology strategy places a value of £27 billion per year on the MedTech sector. “There’s so much new technology out there but is it fit for purpose?” he questioned. “The strategy talks about the ‘right product, in the right place, for the right price’. As clinical engineers, we have a role to play in helping to navigate this new technology. I’ve retired from the NHS and set up a small company because I want to work with small MedTech startups and help them navigate new technology through the challenging regulatory processes for medical devices, as well as navigating the technology into clinical use. It’s one thing for a hospital to buy equipment, but it’s another thing for that equipment to be used by the right patient. We have roles to play here, as well as maintaining the assets and undertaking life cycle management,” Richard Scott continued. “We talk a lot about adoption, but what about
un-adoption? You can’t keep growing your inventory. You have to persuade clinicians to use the same technique, wherever possible,” he added.
Clinical engineers are facing a changing landscape and Richard Scott commented that the profession has recognised a need to develop a digital skillset, or work very closely with partners in IT departments, as it sees more and more digitally enabled medical devices. “I would ask everyone to reflect on ‘what is
the core skillset you need to be an engineer?” he advised. He pointed out that graduates are taking courses on biomedical engineering, but are they coming out with the right, real-world skills? “Can they do clinical risk management based on International Standards, such as ISO 14971?
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I November 2025
Sergey Nivens -
stock.adobe.com
Trsakaoe -
stock.adobe.com
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