Almost a decade ago, Greater Manchester was to be at the centre of a great British development, and it wasn’t for the first time. The place had played major roles in economic, sporting, cultural, and musical progress. Its pedigree in change-making, therefore, made it the optimal place for the then-government to trial its wide-ranging devolution deal for health and social care.
An initial injection of £450 million extra funding to the Combined Authority – four years old at this stage – came with a top-down promise to loosen central controls over the NHS and give say to local leaders over population health and care needs. Unsurprisingly, the region used the extra cash to catalyse a wider healthtech ecosystem, spurring innovation and entrepreneurship from small-scale start-ups specialising in niche product development to international corporations. Greater Manchester became a petri dish of healthtech. Despite this vigour, the national picture of health and care is well known and makes tough reading even for the most resilient. From massive commissioners – such as the NHS and large-scale corporates – to ad-hoc consumers, billions of pounds are being spent trying to address these unprecedented challenges in healthcare.
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the capacity within traditional models of service delivery has been stripped away; primary care (predominately general practice) is under pressure, while hospitals are still dealing with a backlog. The entire NHS is grappling with immense pressure to deliver more to satisfy patient demand. It is increasingly understood that the health and care sector must work with partners to find solutions to these operational problems, while at the same time, conduct a radical strategic shift away from treatment and towards prevention.
It is similarly clear, however, that many of these partners capable of providing solutions are struggling to connect with their desired audiences. Companies are sitting on transformational products that are often market-ready and capable of improving the health outcomes of patients across the country, reducing costs for healthcare providers, and supporting the NHS in its necessary transformation. But this isn’t currently happening.
Understanding the complex health landscape is challenging; being able to skilfully navigate it, is even more so. Knowing where to engage, with whom, and what language to use can be the difference between success and failure. Being able to do this can catapult cash-rich but time-poor organisations forward. In healthtech, this is called the ‘valley of death’ – the term used to describe the gap between product and market.
On either side of this valley, two competing giants rest, each struggling to speak the other’s language. With pressures to deliver immediately so extreme, it’s easy to understand this disconnect, but on the eve of the Greater Local and Combined Authority Mayoral Elections, this represents the perfect opportunity to tap into the famed Mancunian pragmatism and re-connect a burgeoning healthtech sector with a health system in need of support.
At Refresh, we have a suite of skills designed to support this kind of journey. Expert public affairs consultants who understand the legislative and regulatory landscape combined with a team capable of delivering bespoke events, all the while being backed up by a group of PR experts who get the right message, in front of the right people, at the right time.
For more information about we can support you as a healthtech leader, contact george@refreshpr.co.uk.