Commercial services

The introduction of new technology to serve unmet clinical need is of paramount importance to improving patient care. UHS has worked with a hospital bed manufacturer to uncover new benefits to service users and staff from use and acts as a UK reference site. The commercial team has also facilitated project evaluations where technologies require real-world evidence and realised income for several care groups for insights that might otherwise have been provided free of charge. The commercial team is working closely with our procurement colleagues to uncover further value from these relationships with regards to co-developing new products.

UHS is a provider of secondary and tertiary clinical services with a great depth of clinical expertise (from both our clinicians and clinical scientists and commercial team). UHS is keen to undertake the evaluation of new and innovative technology, with a view to creating evidence for clinical use and proof of concept under appropriate agreement terms.

UHS also wishes to consider opportunities where we can co-develop new technologies and test value-based healthcare propositions from medical technology companies under consultancy terms. This type of engagement can help create additional evidence around cost-efficacy, the scale of cost-savings attributable to specific technology, qualitative user feedback or patient experience data or impact upon health outcomes.

UHS has in place a range of reference site agreements with innovative medical technology companies, both SMEs and those that are more established.

UHS also offers a bespoke workshop type programme for those organisations who wish to work more effectively at a strategic level with the NHS.

Please note that the commercial team is not involved in purchasing decisions for new and innovative medical technology. In this instance, we suggest that you contact the head of procurement for clinical products within our wholly owned subsidiary (Wessex Procurement Ltd (WPL).

The commercial team provides oversight and management of all non-NHS third party contracts with UHS. These include supporting collaboration with our independent sector providers, the support of our resourcing team to secure best value for money for our overseas nurses accommodation and optimising terms for contracts with pharmaceutical companies, who provide us with human resources to support service delivery projects across our Trust.

The commercial team also negotiated optimal terms with our internet provider - Hospedia, to ensure free streaming media content was accessible to our in-patients.

Private patients

At UHS we offer a private patient service, providing an alternative option to receiving quicker and even more personalised treatment with the choice of our extensive list of highly experienced consultants. Our trust offers world class specialist services including cancer care, cardiac and thoracic, neurological, children's and surgical procedures. With our strong relationship with research, and development at UHS we are able to offer advanced technologies to provide better outcomes for our patients.

We do not yet have a dedicated private patient unit (this is under development consideration) for all cohorts of patients who will receive their treatment within the relevant specialty areas. The income generated for private patient activity is circa £5m, which is reinvested back into our NHS services.

Overseas visitors

Our team also manages the overseas visitors activity in line with the NHS overseas visitors guidance. The team monitors the Trust's activity daily to ensure that all patients that are referred to UHS or admitted via the emergency department are eligible for free NHS treatment.

The team will investigate each potentially chargeable patient to ensure that all appropriate documentation is provided and apply the right charging mechanism in line with the NHS charging regulations.

UHS has a number of ways in which it uses its platform and real estate to generate a meaningful and sustainable revenue stream for our Trust.

All content shown via these platforms is governed by the NHS identity guidelines, complies with regulatory guidance and health and safety requirements.

UHS ultimately holds the power of veto over content.

Innovation: “An idea or new product that addresses an important clinical issue and can be developed by partnering with industry”.

Innovation is essential for delivering better outcomes for patients in numerous ways and includes service improvement, research and new products/services. We hope that working closely with industry will improve the innovation process from first concept to commercial adoption, and ultimately maximise the benefits of novel technology to patients and the healthcare industry.

The commercial team is also well placed to develop proposals with external innovators, taking into account the specified needs, timescales and budget. We have a network of key clinicians across all specialties who can advise on the clinical feasibility of projects (both clinical need and availability).

The innovation team will work with you to help fund and develop your idea, which once registered, will be subject to the Trust's IP policy - you will be surprised as to just how rewarding innovation can be.