The Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group (MMTSG) has been established in accordance with the recommendation of the Healthcare Industries Task Force (HITF) Strategic Implementation Group (SIG). The Group will take forward the SIG recommendations and provide a strategic forum for joint discussion of other issues of importance.

The meetings are co-chaired by Dawn Primarolo, Minister of State for Public Health and John Jeans, Vice-President International Life Sciences & Chairman UK, GE Healthcare.

Membership of the group includes ministers from the Department of Business, Enterprise, Regulatory Reform (BERR - formerly DTI), Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, senior officials across Whitehall and leading international players from the industry.

The first meeting of the new group was held on 24 October 2007.

SIG was established for a period of two years to oversee HITF implementation. It was co-chaired by the relevant DH minister, latterly Lord Hunt, and Sir Chris O'Donnell. Steady progress was made across all outputs. The main area of discussion concerned balancing NHS investment in new medical technologies with the need to secure best value for money. SIG published its report in March 2007. The report included six recommendations for further joint work:

• Procurement of technology and innovation within the NHS
• SME support
• Inward investment and trade development
• Measurement and analysis of the UK healthcare industry environment
• European Issues
• Future mechanism for government/industry engagement
  
  
• Innovation for health: making a difference
• Press release

More on the Strategic Implementation Group

HITF came about because of the healthcare industries' wish to develop a strategic dialogue with Government. Launched in October 2003, it was a joint year-long initiative which addressed a number of issues of common interest and agree solutions or improvements that would bring benefits for patients, the NHS, the national economy and industry. Lord Warner, the then Health Minister, responsible for medical devices industry sponsorship, co-chaired the Task Force with Sir Chris O'Donnell, CE of Smith & Nephew.
The areas of focus were market access, R&D and the industrial base, regulatory issues and international trade. The central themes which emerged were how to stimulate innovation in the NHS and industry and how to increase adoption of new useful medical technologies.

The Task Force published its report in November 2004:

• Better health through partnership: a programme for action

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