Medical Technology Group

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The Medical Technology Group (MTG) describes itself as "a coalition of patient groups, research charities and medical device manufacturers working to make medical technologies available to everyone who needs them."[1] The Group was launched in 2000 to lobby for medical technologies in the NHS.

Background

The global medical technology market is worth an estimated £150-170bn and the proportion of healthcare expenditure spent on medical technology is increasing.

The USA is the largest market worth over £70bn and has a strong supply base with most of world’s largest medical technology companies originating there. [2]

The UK medical technology sector in 2010 consisted of 3034 companies generating a turnover of £13.1bn and employing 55,000 individuals. Barbara Harpham, Medical Technology Group chairman and director of Heart Research UK claimed the UK lags behind many other European countries, with problems like hospitals denying patients NICE-approved technologies because they lack the facilities or staff to support their use.[3]

The UK spends just 4.5 per cent of its healthcare budget on technology, compared with a European average of 6.3%. MTG claims that this "leads to British patients missing out, for example life saving pacemakers are implanted in Germany at twice the UK rate”. [4]

MTG members

MTG consists of 40 members, and works as a partnership. It includes individual medical technology companies as well as trade associations.

AdvaMed, Abbot Medical Optics, AntiCoagulation Europe, ARMA, Arrhythmia Alliance, Arthritis Care, Atrial Fibrillation Association, Association of British Healthcare Industries, BD, Bladder and Bowel Foundation, Boston Scientific, British Cardiac Patients’ Association, Cardiomyopathy Association, Circulation Foundation, ConvaTec, CR Bard, Dexcom, Eucomed, FABLE, FEmISA, Heart Research UK, ICD Group, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia Info and Support, International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations, INPUT, Johnson & Johnson, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation, Medtronic, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, The Patients Association, Patient Information Forum, Pelvic Pain Support Network, Roche Diagnostics, SADS UK, St Jude Medical, STARS, Stryker, Transplant Support Network, Zimmer.[5]

Lobbying for its members

Weber Shandwick

PR and lobbying company, Weber Shandwick provides the Secretariat to MTG and acts as its contact point. [6] [7]

Membership benefits

MTG sends out a weekly report to members with all relevant media coverage, parliamentary activity and government announcements. It includes information about MTG and Weber Shandwick activity “to keep all members in the loop”. [9] Membership also includes:

  • 'Access to professional public affairs advice on matters relating to the Group'
  • 'Training workshops on lobbying effectiveness, media training and other topics'
  • 'Opportunities to meet and network with MPs, patient and professional groups and regulatory bodies such as NICE and NHS PASA. [10]

MTG member organizations can be profiled at various events, such as:

  • The Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat annual conferences
  • 'The Medical Technology Showcase in the Houses of Parliament where your technologies could be exhibited to MPs and Lords'
  • Articles in MTG’s full-colour ‘Bulletin’ which reaches 1000 senior health decision-makers in parliament and the NHS”. [11]

Contacts

MTG secretariat email: mail@mtg.org.uk [12]

Management Committee

Lobbying activities

2008

Attended the 2008 Party Conferences, to 'raise awareness of the under-adoption of medical technology'. Offered MPs the chance to check they had healthy hearts.

MTG takes patients’ views to a wider group of MPs and Peers at our annual Parliamentary Showcase. MTG appeared regularly in the media, in 2008, to help policymakers and the public learn about the benefits of medical technology.
In 2008 MTG worked with parliamentarians to table an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill. It encouraged the Care Quality Commission to take into account medical technology’s ability to generate cost savings across Government. MTG had "regular meetings with NICE, and the meetings helped to ensure that insulin pumps were the very first technology to be the subject of a Commissioning Guide".
Submissions to NICE helped to convey patients’ views to this key public body, while briefings to Parliamentarians on current legislation like the Health Bill explained to MPs and Peers the views of members. [14]

2009

MTG ran a number of campaigns throughout 2009, including: the publication of the MTG Action Plan, research into the wider societal benefits of medical technology, Parliamentary Showcase, and dedicated campaign activity.

Publication of MTG Action Plan: The report “Medical Technology – Can we afford to miss out?” which: :highlighted how the UK lags behind many other European countries in its uptake of proven effective technologies. The report gained broad media coverage, including from the BBC, HSJ and Pharma Times amongst others. The Action Plan has also been endorsed by front bench MPs from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrats. 



Research into the wider societal benefits of medical technology: MTG commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium to produce a report which would demonstrate the wider societal benefits of medical technologies, the first phase of this was completed in August.
The annual Parliamentary Showcase was held on 13 October at Portcullis House. 18 parliamentarians attended including MPs Norman Lamb and Sandra Gidley from the Shadow Lib Dem health team, high profile labour MPs, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Alan Haselhurst, and a number of Conservative and cross-bench peers with an interest in health. 


MTG ran a number of dedicated campaigns, the first of these was around increasing the uptake of Insulin Pumps. MTG had liaised with a number of MPs and expect a series of outputs throughout 2010 [15]

See also MTG annual report for 2009: http://www.abhi.org.uk/multimedia/docs/briefings-in-public/Weber%20Shandwick%20presentation%20FINAL.pdf

2010

MTG's plan was to “utilise the recently launched Action Plan, focusing on Conservatives and wider stakeholders", and to “build links with think tanks, seek out speaking opportunities" and hold fringe events at events such as the RCN Congress”. MTG also wanted more press coverage in 2010 than the previous year and to focus on “patient need”. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ MTG website About MTG, accessed Nov 2010
  2. ↑ Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Strength andOpportunity Dec 2010, accessed 28.03.2011
  3. ↑ "Nursing Times NHS "must boost use of technology" or risk falling behind 25.11.2009, accessed 09.04.2011
  4. ↑ MTG MTG Policy Statements, accessed 11.02.2011
  5. ↑ MTG Members, accessed 11.02.2011
  6. ↑ MTG and INPUT AUDIT OF INSULIN PUMP THERAPY PROVISION AT PRIMARY CARE TRUST (PCT) LEVEL TO BE PUBLISHED SOON accessed 29.03.2011
  7. ↑ PR Week Healthcare Tech Group Enlists WS 23.11.2007, accessed 16.04.2011
  8. ↑ PB Political Consulting profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 8 February 2016
  9. ↑ Weber Shandwick. Medical Technology Group, 2009 End of year review and forward look accessed 02.04.2011
  10. ↑ MTG Joining MTG accessed 11.02.1011
  11. ↑ MTG Joining MTG accessed 11.02.1011
  12. ↑ MTG Medical Technology – Can We Afford to Miss Out? 21.12.2009, accessed 20.02.2011
  13. ↑ MTG Management Committee, accessed 11.02.2011
  14. ↑ MTG MTG successes, accessed 20.02.2011
  15. ↑ ABHI Medical Technology Group, accessed 14.02.2011
  16. ↑ ABHI Medical Technology Group, accessed 14.02.2011
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