The MedTech Funding Mandate (MTFM) is a NHS Long Term Plan commitment to get selected NICE-approved cost-saving devices, diagnostics and digital products to NHS patients more quickly. The policy launched on 1 April 2021. After the first year of the new policy, new guidance was published for 2022/23.
The policy supports devices, diagnostics or digital products that:
The policy defines a list of NICE-approved technologies that NHS commissioners and providers are mandated to agree local funding arrangements for through their existing allocations. This is to ensure healthcare providers across England enable equitable access to patients.
The policy has three key objectives:
The MTFM policy is an NHS England initiative, delivered with the support of the 15 AHSNs who work closely with their local ICSs.
Technologies included in the 2022/23 policy:
The technologies included in the MTFM 2022/23 policy are categorised into the following two themes:
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – a common condition in ageing men and others with a prostate (trans women, some non-binary and some intersex people). It is commonly treated with the surgical procedure, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) which usually requires the patient to stay in hospital for one to three days. The following four less invasive innovations allow patients with BPH to be treated as day cases and have seen increased utilisation over the last four-five years. However, as recognised by the GIRFT urology team, there is still an opportunity to increase utilisation of these four innovations, particularly in the context of elective recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.
The four BPH technologies are:
Improving the patient experience during procedures – using technology can provide more efficiency, improved outcomes and in some cases offer less invasive alternatives.
Three technologies are:
Thopaz+ and Spectra Optia use digital technology to increase efficiency and improve outcomes compared to the alternatives, whilst XprESS is a minimally invasive alternative to invasive sinus surgery.
Technologies receiving continued support from the 2021/22 policy are:
For more information on MTFM, or on the individual technologies, please get in touch.