Essential MedTech interactive seminars focusing on Value-Based Acquisitions

The United Kingdom's Health Department is inviting stakeholders to shape a new evaluation methodology for medical devices, marking a significant change in the way products are procured by the National Health Service (NHS). This new approach aims to move away from a system based primarily on price, and instead prioritise patient experience, outcomes, and whole system costs.

Starting from early 2026, the NHS will introduce standardized value-based procurement guidance specifically for devices and digital products as part of its 10 Year Health Plan. Centralized national-level purchasing of productivity-enhancing medical devices and digital tools, with distribution via an internal NHS marketplace, will benefit both patients and healthcare professionals.

The new approach also includes the expansion of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process from medicines to include select devices, diagnostics, and digital products from April 2026, creating the first national pathway for prioritizing and funding high-impact health technologies beyond pharmaceuticals.

The focus is on pathway optimization, productivity improvements, and sustainability benefits such as reduced theatre time, decreased length of stay, and remote patient care enabled by technology. The plan also includes an “open innovation” approach intended to unlock the potential of the UK’s HealthTech and MedTech sectors, reversing previous fragmentation and encouraging faster technology adoption and closer integration across the NHS supply chain and care pathways.

Furthermore, the plan includes building digital infrastructures like national registries for robotic surgery and telesurgery networks by 2029, supporting advanced technologies with a long-term strategic view. The success of this new approach will depend heavily on detailed evaluation frameworks that help procurement teams assess the long-term value of technologies, including benefits such as infection reduction and staff retention, rather than focusing on immediate cost alone.

NHS organizations are encouraged to leverage procurement for broader social and economic impact, integrating values like local economic growth and sustainability into supply chain decisions. However, industry engagement has not been as great as it should be in influencing the rules of the market within which it operates.

The Department of Health and Social Care has called for MedTech developers and suppliers to engage with officials regarding this new value-based approach to procurement for devices procured by the NHS. Two market engagement sessions for MedTech suppliers have been scheduled for May 7 and 13. The UK Government is also seeking views on changes to key procurement guidelines.

Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation, has emphasized the importance of the MedTech sector's participation in shaping the final outcome of this new approach. He stresses that the evidence of value required under the new system should be proportionate and take into account real-world studies, particularly those that have been industry-funded but delivered with NHS or social care partners.

This new evaluation methodology is currently being tested by several local NHS organizations. The author can be reached for comments and questions at [email protected].

[1] NHS England. (2022). NHS Long Term Plan. Retrieved from https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/ [2] Department of Health and Social Care. (2022). Value-Based Procurement. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/value-based-procurement/value-based-procurement [3] Department of Health and Social Care. (2021). Accelerated Access Collaborative. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accelerated-access-collaborative-aac/accelerated-access-collaborative [4] NHS England and NHS Improvement. (2021). NHS Procurement Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/nhs-procurement-strategy.pdf

The new evaluation methodology for medical devices in the United Kingdom prioritizes patient experience, outcomes, and whole system costs, moving away from a system based primarily on price, as stated in the Department of Health and Social Care's Value-Based Procurement.
The NHS plans to introduce standardized value-based procurement guidance for medical devices and digital products from early 2026, as part of its 10 Year Health Plan, with a focus on pathway optimization, productivity improvements, and sustainability benefits.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will expand its technology appraisal process from medicines to include select devices, diagnostics, and digital products from April 2026, creating the first national pathway for prioritizing and funding high-impact health technologies beyond pharmaceuticals.
NHS England has been testing this new approach with several local organizations, and MedTech developers and suppliers are encouraged to engage with officials to shape the final outcome of this value-based approach to procurement for devices procured by the NHS, as Chris Whitehouse, a political consultant and expert on medical technology policy and regulation, emphasizes.