Comment EDITOR’S COMMENTwith LOUISE FRAMPTON THE CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL Editor


Louise Frampton louiseframpton@stepcomms.com


Technical Editor Kate Woodhead


Journal Administration Katy Cockle katycockle@stepcomms.com


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STEP COMMUNICATIONS ISSN No. 1478-5641


© Step Communications Ltd, 2025 Single copy: £19.00 per issue. Annual journal subscription: UK £114.00 Overseas: £150.00


The Clinical Services Journal is published in January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK.


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Clinical engineering in the spotlight


At the time of writing this, Global Clinical Engineering Day was fast approaching. Celebrated on 21 October, this worldwide celebration recognises the contributions of the profession to the safe and efficient delivery of healthcare. Medical technologies – such as surgical robots, integrated patient monitoring systems, and


intelligent infusion pumps – are becoming increasingly complex, intelligent and have the potential to improve outcomes, efficiency and patient safety. At the same time, we are seeing the integration of artificial intelligence into innovative medical devices, a move towards centralised monitoring, more care being delivered outside of the hospital setting, and a shift from analogue to digital. Speaking at EBME Expo earlier this year, Prof. Sandham pointed out that the landscape of


medical technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, presenting both immense opportunities and significant challenges. The overriding message at the event was clear: clinical engineers must take a central role and lead the way in decision making – to achieve this, we must elevate the profile of the profession and secure the recognition it deserves. As the pandemic demonstrated, through the huge efforts of clinical engineers in rapidly upscaling life-saving equipment in a crisis, clinical engineering is a resourceful, skilful and dynamic profession. Clinical engineers are the backbone of healthcare across the globe, and yet there is very poor awareness of the vital work they do. It is clear that the future of technology-driven healthcare lies firmly in the skilful hands of clinical engineers, but they will need to be supported in taking a proactive leadership role. The Government says that it is “doing away with the sticking plaster spending mentality” and


promises to “invest to save”, by purchasing the “most effective technology, not just the cheapest”. It states that better, more innovative medical technology is pivotal to cutting NHS waiting lists by supporting more productive and safer patient care and enabling faster and more accurate diagnostics. This means getting patients home quicker and freeing up staff time to allow them to see and treat more patients. As part of its plans, the Government is pledging a shift towards more remote monitoring of patients in their own homes, using wearables and digitally enabled technologies. But it will rely on the reliability and connectivity of these medical technologies in order to transition to this bold new way of delivering care. The Online Hospital and Virtual Hospital will need increased investment in the workforce to ensure they have the right skills and training to deliver this model of care. Yet there is very little detail in the 10-Year Health Plan on how new models of working will be


supported, financed or delivered from a clinical engineering perspective. Where will the extra staff come from to service this equipment in people’s homes? Who will train patients to use the equipment? What will they do when the equipment fails out of hours? Furthermore, how will we keep track of all these devices, so they are not lost into the community blackhole? At the moment, the NHS is not effectively tracking medical equipment, even within the walls


of the hospital. Therefore, how will we ensure medical assets are safe, functioning and compliant once they leave the confines of the hospital estate? While MedTech innovations have the potential to address healthcare challenges and reduce NHS waiting lists, the sector faces significant funding hurdles. However, we need to invest in people too – clinical engineers who can bridge the gap between traditional EBME skills and IT, in a landscape of increased MedTech connectivity. Only then can we hope to deliver on the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan going forward. In the next editions, CSJ will continue to explore MedTech’s ability to transform patient outcomes,


efficiency and tackle the backlog. Both the November and December issues include valuable insights into how innovation adoption can be supported safely and efficiently, and the future of clinical engineering, with exclusive coverage from some the UK’s leading conferences.


Follow the CSJ LinkedIn page. Search Clinical Services Journal


louiseframpton@stepcomms.com Get in touch and give us your views, email me:


November 2025 I www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 5


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