Member Groups

Value & Access

Overview

The Value and Access group is the combined Commercial Policy group and Market Access Policy group. It brings together our work on the adoption and spread of innovation and the commercial uptake by the NHS, while allowing the specific needs of market access and procurement to be addressed. The objective of the group is to ensure that the NHS takes a value-based approach to the assessment, adoption and procurement of health technologies across the system.

Leadership 

Market Access 

  • Chair: Kieran Murphy, ReCor Medical
  • Vice Chairs: David Dawson, Becton Dickinson, Jayne Bailey, Cephid, Ross Wardle, Abbott 

Commercial Policy 

  • Chair: Michael Cullen, B Braun
  • Vice Chairs: Graeme Cameron, Pennine Healthcare, Matthew Bramley, Merit Medical & Stephen Sutcliffe, Boston Scientific 
Achievements    

Market Access

  • Delivered ABHI Paper to NICE on critical aspects for inclusion in the Methods and Process Review.
  • Group members provided input to the NICE Methods and Process Review Task & Finish groups ensuring sector voice taken into account. The Case for Change consultation included points provided by members.
  • Provided critical feedback on the MedTech Funding Mandate Policy to instigate change in the requirement for in-year savings.

Commercial

  • Delivered paper to Ministers on procurement landscape and 10 recommendations for the future requirements of NHS procurement.
  • Created key commercial messages and led engagement with NHS Supply Chain on critical issues.
  • Collated examples of innovations used to support the NHS during the COVID-19 crisis, which were shared with NICE, the Accelerated Access Collaborative and NHS Wales Value Based Procurement.
Priorities  

Market Access Group 

NICE 

Appraisal & Guidance Programmes. 

  • MultiTech evaluations, including Late - Stage Assessments (LSA). 
    • Participate in all Lessons Learned sessions for each of the LSAs.
    • Review and respond on outcome of Early Value Assessments.
  • Hold pre-consultation engagement with NICE about the NICE consultation on the introduction of a single HealthTech Guidance Manual.
  • January/February 2025
  • Respond to the NICE consultation on the introduction of a single HealthTech Guidance Manual including the impact to Interventional Procedure Guidance
    • Q1-2 2025
  • Prioritisation Process
    • Review published technologies selected through new prioritisation process and feed back to NICE on success or otherwise of the growth of NICE’s HealthTech assessments
      • June 2025 & December 2025 

 NHS England & DHSC where relevant 

Specialised Commissioning transparency and process. 

  • Agree publication of Terms of Reference of selection criteria for tariff high cost excluded devices.
  •  Engage with Specialised Commissioning formally a minimum of once a month.
  • Work towards the creation of a formal document describing the addition and removal of products to and from the Specialised Services Device Programme (SSDP).
  • In collaboration with NICE address the use of Interventional Procedure Guidance in commissioning, in the context of the NICE HealthTech Manual consultation
    • Get agreement that IPGs should be co-terminus with Commissioning Policy development.

Innovation Ecosystem Programme 

  • Analyse and agree actions based on the Innovation Ecosystem publication in November 2024.

Adoption Landscape Reforms 

  • Engage proactively with system stakeholders to leverage policy initiatives and ensure they are beneficial in advancing the adoption landscape and will be helpful and practical (Rules based Pathway and Ecosystem Review).
  • Advocate with system partners, stakeholders and political decision-makers to make changes to the current fragmented adoption landscape and specifically seek, including.
    • Identified process Improvements to streamline pathways and speed up the length of time needed for the NHS to adopt new technologies.
    • Removing areas of duplication with other organisations (in particular evidence assessments).

Value & Access 

Department of Health & Social Care MedTech Strategy Engagement 

Value Based Procurement (VBP)

  • Participation in stakeholder engagement on the Value Based Procurement methodology.
  • Engage and feed into discussions about the implementation of VBP in contracts 

 Late Stage Assessments (LSAs) 

  • Ensure next phase of LSAs not finalised until the lessons learned from the initial 8 concluded.
  • Feed into discussions about suitability for technologies for LSA as appropriate.

Rules Based Pathway 

  • Awaiting consultation response, now expected after the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan – create necessary priority based on the response and expressed next steps.
    • Late Spring 2025.

Commercial Group 

Procurement  

  • Work with DHSC, OLS, NHS England and NHS Supply Chain to undertake a deep dive into tendering including new NHS Supply Chain.
  • Arrange quarterly meetings with NHS Supply Chain on focus issues.

Engage and act of key elements of the NHS England Commercial Strategic Framework. 

  • Request further engagement on Phase 1 of the Core List and request a session to focus on Phase 2.
  • Request involvement in Category Councils.
  • Engage in workstream as detail understood – as known. 

NHS Grass-Roots Engagement 

  • Hold 2 Commercially Focussed Health System Roundtables on changing the face of commercial engagement.
Useful Resources 

Click here to view the latest updates, minutes and future meeting dates for the group. 

Get Involved

To join the ABHI Value & Access group, contact luella.trickett@abhi.org.uk 

“During these most challenging of times the support of the ABHI has never been more critical. The Value & Access group is a group of like-minded suppliers to the NHS who are passionate about ensuring that the correct quality and access to medical technology is provided for the benefit of all patients. Despite the coronavirus crisis we have never stopped in trying to push forward with this vision driven by constant dialogue with Supply Chain Coordination Limited to deliver operational equity, while delivering on the ultimate goal of ensuring that value-based procurement and healthcare become the bedrock of NHS procurement.”
Graeme Cameron, CEO, Pennine Healthcare & Chair, ABHI Commercial

“Covering the way health technologies are assessed, commissioned and hospitals reimbursed, market access is critical to commercial success of ABHI members. The Market Access group works to ensure the NHS enables timely access to benefit patients and the wider health system. In an ever-changing landscape, it is critical that the health technology industry works effectively with Government and the NHS to realise these benefits and remove barriers which work against achieving the best patient outcomes within an efficient health system across the UK.”
Kieran Murphy, Senior Director, Market Access, ReCor Medical UK & Chair, ABHI Market Access

 

Contact

Luella Trickett
Executive Director, Medical Devices, Value and Access