Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) align the Medical Technologies Directorate’s upcoming Strategy with the NHS’s duty to promote innovation, including within integrated care systems and (b) ensure that medical technologies and digital health solutions are included in plans to tackle NHS backlogs and level up health and care outcomes across the country.

The Medical Technology Directorate’s forthcoming Strategy aims to establish frameworks to ensure consistency in the use of medical technology in the National Health Service and increase the sharing of expertise.

The strategy intends to assist with the identification, development and promotion of new medical technologies and digital solutions to reduce health inequalities and improve patient outcomes. This includes working with NHS England on the launch of community diagnostic centres to reduce backlogs for diagnostic tests through new technologies to increase efficiency.