2024 - my asks and hopes for healthtech and digital health
Unlike others I can't predict the future and the trends within the industry in 2024 but I can use my experience of 2023 to suggest how healthtech and digital health solutions could address the problems within NHS services. I've also analysed the growth opportunities within specific markets outside of the NHS / healthcare payer market over the next few eyars.
NHS Elective Care Recovery
In England at the end of 2023 there were 7.71 million people are on the waiting list and only 63.1% received their cancer diagnosis within the 62 days target. My ask is that NHS decision-makers need to have greater trust and acceptance of adopting evidence-based AI in their cancer diagnostics and screening programmes. I’ve found out recently that in North West London (NWL), women will not be invited to their breast screening appointment until they are 52 years and 9 months*. Whereas anecdotally other areas of London women are invited approximately 6 months after their 50th birthday. NWL is using AI screening tool but only as part of a clinical trial rather than within the service (which I assume could speed up the waiting time). Could this postcode lottery lead to worse clinical outcomes and mortality?
My ask – as there is a lack of clinicians to screen and diagnose cancer, we need to maximise the opportunities that evidence-based and regulated AI screening solutions bring to ease the backlog and reduce the unwanted variation across England. But NHS providers has been extremely cautious, so I believe they need to be financially incentivised NHS to implement these AI diagnostics with more funding like NHSE's AI Diagnostic Fund. Solutions from Kherion Technology Limited Aidence and Skin Analytics are some of the NHS England’s phase 4 AI winners that have generated the clinical safety evidence. Now is the time to trust the technology to speed up cancer diagnosis and reduce health inequalities based upon where someone lives.
My ask - For other elective care pathways I would encourage ICBs to use their 24/25 elective care recovery funding for innovation particularly any evidence-based solution that streamlines referral management including pre-operative appointments, self-management (eg. whilst patient on the waiting list), and prevention of ill-health eg. stop smoking, weight management etc. I would stop the crisis management within short-term 'sticky plaster' solution and focus on long-term solutions that will create efficiencies and ultimately decrease demand on services.
Women’s health – The U.K. femtech market is estimated to reach at a CAGR of 14.3% from 2023 to 2032. I've identified gaps in the femtech market as most technology assist in some way with women’s reproductive systems eg. menopause, fertility, menstruation etc. Rather than focusing upon solutions for other clinical conditions that are impacted by women's hormones. For example, research shows that two thirds of IBS sufferers are women, and there is a correlation between a drop in oestrogen and women affected by migraines, UTIs and blepharitis (eye condition). But data is not collected on how female hormones will and can impact these health conditions particularly at certain points in our life.
Data from wearables and at home testing could collect and analyse hormone level helping to empower women to self-manage their health better as well as advocating more accurately for themselves during clinical consultations. Knowledge is power! Plus, a hidden fact is that in the UK, women aged 40–60 (those affected by hormone changes) have the greatest spending power with 93% of them making most or all of the purchasing decisions in their households. It would be interesting to know how many women in this age group bought the ZOE arm patch in 2023 - I bet it was significant.
Employers or B2B2C market
In 2023 we saw a significant skills shortage in the UK (Brexit anyone!). As a consequence it seems that employers leaned more on healthcare benefits to attract top talent and keep their employers healthy and productive. The corporate wellness market in the UK has expanded with employers of all sizes paying for their employees' health and wellbeing apps. Predominantly mental health and sleep apps have dominated the market but there is a need for more personalised experience and catering for specific groups of employees. Many healthtech companies are gaining traction in this B2B2C market, for example Peppy with their menopause app or SmokeFree that uses behaviour-change techniques for smoking cessation. I believe if you have a health and wellbeing app that demonstrates health improves that employers will be a vital market in 2024.
* NHS Digital do not publish breast screening statistics by ICB area and latest published data is for 21/22.
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