HealthTech investment in the UK is booming, £650 million in Q1 2024 alone, up 22% on the previous quarter.
But as highlighted in our healthtech focused round table, transforming investment into meaningful change is far from easy.
High hopes, hard realities
Political backing for tech-driven reform is growing, with figures like Wes Streeting calling for a data-led overhaul of the NHS. The potential is enormous: technology can improve care, reduce costs, and help address workforce shortages.
Yet on the ground, adoption lags. Many clinicians remain reluctant to use new tools, not because they don’t see the value, but because the infrastructure to support them is missing. The NHS struggles to remove outdated systems, often layering new tech on top of the old.
Systemic barriers
The panel agreed: progress is held back by long investment timelines, lack of capacity for change, and cultural resistance. Healthcare staff are often too stretched to implement tech even when it’s available. “We never take out the old,” one attendee noted, making room for innovation is half the battle.
“If we don’t go with this now, we’re heading for spiralling costs, poor quality care, and a disillusioned workforce.”
Tech as a tool, not a fix-all
Technology won’t solve everything. But if designed and deployed well, co-created with users, tailored to real clinical needs, it can help shift the system forward. That shift requires bold leadership, clear goals, and the willingness to take a long-term view.
As one panellist warned: “If we don’t go with this now, we’re heading for spiralling costs, poor quality care, and a disillusioned workforce.”
The promise of HealthTech is real. But fulfilling it means doing more than investing, it means transforming.
Compass Carter Osborne held a HealthTech round table chaired by Penny Dash to discuss the challenges and opportunities within HealthTech, domestically and globally. Access our full report below which summarises our discussion in full:
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