Our client was unable to obtain access to the UK market for capital-intensive equipment. This was because its principal users were surgeons, who had little experience of, and no influence over, the allocation of capital for expensive machinery. Our client considered that the only way to overcome this resistance was to influence policy at national level and asked for Translucency’s help in achieving this.
Translucency used its network of contacts with the UK Department of Health and other national and supra-regional bodies to understand the reasons behind current resistance on the part of policy makers to giving the technology the support it deserved. Translucency reviewed the travailler avec des preuves for the product and distilled this into a short efficience dossier which was easy for a non-specialist to read. We also generated an electronic version with hyperlinks to the full text of key references and some decision support tools such as a spreadsheet to model the cost and service consequences of installing a chosen number of machines. We also undertook a review of the capacity and service experience with existing private sector machines in the UK and incorporated this material into an analysis of the likely implementation issues consequent on a decision to introduce this equipment into the NHS.
Translucency presented its findings informally to key policy makers in 1-to-1 meetings, using the information to further refine the contents of the dossier. The dossier was sent to key decision makers with the offer of further support.
As a result of the work Translucency did, a national review was ordered. The review committed recognized the place for the technology in the treatment of key conditions of interest to the client. Key conditions for which the use of the technology was endorsed included all those of importance to the client. A further use, which the client considered particularly unlikely to receive support, was recognized as a legitimate call on NHS resources provided the patients were enrolled into a clinical trial. The review enmdorsed the routine service use of an NHS machine which was originally bought with research funds in the NHS, and the client anticipates satisfactory sales in the UK.