All problems
For UK HealthTech companies
Your healthtech product works, but NHS procurement is burning your runway
From first conversation to signed contract can take years. Most companies underestimate the decision layers, internal politics, and process gates, and run out of time before they run out of merit.
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- Healthtech companies spending 18-36 months in procurement discussions without securing a contract
- Multiple rounds of tender submissions and business case revisions due to evolving requirements or unclear feedback
- Startups struggling to secure follow-on funding as investors become wary of prolonged NHS sales cycles
- Innovative solutions remaining in pilot phases for extended periods without scaling across the NHS.
- Diversion of significant internal resources (sales, legal, product development) to manage protracted procurement processes
- Inability to forecast revenue accurately, leading to operational instability and difficult resource allocation decisions
- Increased burn rate for healthtech startups due to extended sales cycles, potentially leading to financial distress or failure
- Missed revenue opportunities from delayed contract awards and inability to scale solutions across the NHS
- Delayed access for NHS patients to potentially transformative health technologies that could improve care pathways and outcomes
- Slower adoption of innovations that could enhance clinical efficiency or address workforce shortages
- Damage to the reputation of healthtech companies as they struggle to demonstrate market traction and secure NHS contracts
- Perception of the NHS as slow to innovate or difficult to work with, deterring future healthtech partnerships
No verified UK data available
Source: No verified UK data available
Frequently asked questions
Why does this problem persist?
NHS procurement is genuinely slow - typically 18-36 months from first contact to contract. Companies that don't understand the process, the decision-making structure, and the internal politics lose years to avoidable delays.
What is the cost of leaving it unaddressed?
No verified UK data available
This is exactly what I do with UK private practices. Answer the few questions above and I'll come back personally with where to start. Paul.