Four innovations to be fast tracked by NHS England

A group of new technologies, including image analysis software that creates a 3D model of the heart, are to be fast-tracked by NHS England.

The group of four includes HeartFlow, software which can map coronary arteries to help diagnose patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Another is SecurAcath, which is a device to secure catheters that reduce the infection risk for patients.

The full list of solutions being backed by the NHS are listed below.

NHS England has also announced £1.5 million will be spent on helping the spread of innovation.

Furthermore the body gave its support and backing to DrDoctor, a platform which allows patients to reschedule their own appointments rather than miss them.

Professor Tony Young, national clinical lead for innovation at NHS England, said: “For new innovations to flourish and spread at scale access to funding is critical, by buying these four innovations centrally NHS England has removed the barriers to the spread of these innovations so patients can benefit faster.

“This is just one way in which the NHS is supporting innovation as we celebrate the NHS’ 70th birthday, later this year we will be announcing the next round of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals joining the growing numbers of entrepreneurs developing new and innovative treatments for patients from within the NHS.”

The 15 Academic Health Science Networks across England will take direct responsibility for accelerating uptake locally.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “From the very beginning the NHS has been at the forefront of driving innovation, as we celebrate the NHS’s 70th birthday the NHS continues to champion innovation.

“These technologies will improve patient safety and potentially reduce the need for invasive and expensive tests.”

The latest investment in innovation comes after NHS England announced in November 2017 that it was backing 11 new solutions, including a device that can spot early signs of Sepsis.

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The four innovations are:

• HeartFlow – Advanced image analysis software that creates a 3D model of the coronary arteries and analyses the impact that blockages have on blood flow to rapidly diagnose patients with suspected coronary artery disease. The use of the device can avoid the need for invasive investigations such as coronary angiography, usually carried out under local anaesthetic, where a catheter is passed through the blood vessels to the heart to release a dye before X-rays are taken. NICE estimate up to 35,000 people per year could be eligible.
• Plus Sutures – A new type of surgical suture – stitching – that reduces the rate of surgery-linked infection (surgical site infection) such as MRSA, through the use of antimicrobial suture packs. There were 823 cases of MRSA reported in the NHS in 2016/17.
• Endocuff Vision – A new type of ‘bowel scope’ that improves colorectal examination for patients undergoing bowel cancer tests. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in England with 34,000 people diagnosed each year. For every 1,000 people screened for cancer, it is estimated that six cases could be avoided thanks to early detection through the use of this device.
• SecurAcath – A device to secure catheters that reduces the infection risk for patients with a peripherally inserted central catheter. The use of this equipment helps to reduce the time taken to care and treat dressing changes. This type of catheter is normally used in people needing intravenous access for several weeks or months in both inpatient and outpatient settings. NICE estimate up to 120,000 people per year could be eligible.

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