About the MTG

The MTG is a coalition of patient groups, research charities and medical device manufacturers working to improve access to cost effective medical technologies for everyone who needs them. Our membership ranges from national charities such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Patients Association, to international companies including Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic.

The common purpose of the MTG is to increase patient access to the best, diagnostic, imaging, surgical and supported-living technologies on the NHS.

Appropriate use of medical technology provides value for money to the NHS, patients and taxpayers. It can improve clinical outcomes and experiences of patients and supports the wellbeing and personal development of individuals.  It can also help to achieve savings to the NHS and other areas of public spending in a tight budgetary climate by improving independence, supporting care closer to home, and enabling faster rehabilitation after surgery as just a few examples.

Patient access to proven medical technology is not as good as it should be in the UK.  For example: insulin pumps are NICE approved for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes but uptake stands at 4% compared to 35% in the USA.

Mainstreaming medical technology is an important part of the quality and efficiency agenda for today’s NHS.

We need to foster a culture of improvement in the NHS so that:

• patients are empowered to access the technology that could help them to manage their condition and get on with their lives;
• commissioners are equipped to plan and deliver services that address growing patient need cost effectively;
• clinicians can harness technologies wherever it can best support the outcomes and experiences of the patient.