The NHS handles over a million patient contacts every 36 hours — and every digital bottleneck (interoperability, evidence, compliance) compounds across that scale. If you’re selling into the NHS, procurement readiness isn’t a deck — it’s a system.
This market map shows who the buyers trust, who the enablers are, and which vendors actually plug into NHS workflows — so you can pinpoint your gaps and move faster from pilot to purchase.
Why this map matters
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Procurement is a pathway, not a pitch. Winners prove safety, evidence, and interoperability before they ever talk price.
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“NHS-ready” means aligned to policy + pathways. Think UKCA/CE, ORCHA, FHIR/ITK, DSPT, DCB0129/0160, and trust-level integrations (EMIS, TPP, Cerner/Oracle, System C, InterSystems).
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Speed is an operating advantage. Teams with a repeatable commercialization system cut cycles, secure the right pilots, and avoid dead-end “innovation theatre.”
Below: 6 categories, what they represent in the procurement flow, and a complete list of examples you can use for competitor positioning, partnership targeting, and SEO.
1) Approved Apps
Digitally prescribed or ORCHA-assessed solutions with lower adoption friction.
Examples: ORCHA Health, my mhealth, AccuRx, Peppy, SilverCloud, Sleepio, Thrive, Healthily (Your.MD), Quit Genius, Big Health, My Possible Self, Cogniss, Health & Her, Sidekick Health, ZOE, Healthera, myGP, Cera Smart Care, Ada Health, Youper, Ginger, Calm, Headspace.
Why it matters: App approvals and clinical safety assurance de-risk adoption for trusts and ICBs. If you’re a DTx/app, ORCHA + clinical safety + privacy gets you into serious conversations.
2) AI Diagnostics
Imaging and decision-support AI aligned to NHS pathways and radiology ops.
Examples: Kheiron Medical (Mia), Behold.ai, Brainomix, Ultromics, DeepMind Health (Google), Quibim, Blackford Analysis, Perspectum, Optellum, BenevolentAI, Zebra Medical Vision, Mirada Medical, Alphalake AI, Dyad, Hallo Healthcare Group, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, DeepCure, DeepCognition, Signal AI, Qure.ai, InferVision, Lunit, Caption Health, Viz.ai.
Why it matters: AI that reduces time-to-decision (stroke, oncology, cardiology) and plugs into RIS/PACS shows ROI that procurement teams understand — throughput, safety, outcomes.
3) Virtual Care
Telehealth, virtual wards, and remote monitoring that reduce pressure on beds and clinics.
Examples: Huma, Doccla, Current Health, HealthHero, Livi, Push Doctor, Doctor Care Anywhere, eConsult Health, Medicspot, Kry (UK), Cera Care, Visiba Care, Babylon / eMed (GP at Hand), Healthera, Virti, Owkin, Doctorlink, Infermedica, Welldoc, Tacit, BlueEye, Sensyne Health, Agewell.
Why it matters: Integrated virtual care wins with measurable readmission reduction, saved clinician minutes, and avoided attendances — not just video calls.
4) Data / Interop
FHIR/ITK-capable platforms, EHR connectors, shared care records, and data exchange.
Examples: Patients Know Best, DrDoctor, Inhealthcare, Graphnet Health, System C, InterSystems UK, Orion Health, Redox (UK), openEHR UK, Cerner/Oracle Health UK, IMS Maxims, Health Gorilla, Alcidion, Cognizant (UK Health), TPP SystmOne, EMIS Health, Cerner HealtheIntent, FHIRBase UK, Healthcare Gateway, Medefer, Sensyne Health, Atomiton Health, CDRU/HDR UK nodes, HDR UK.
Why it matters: Interoperability is the #1 deal killer. If you can’t demonstrate clean data flows with live connectors, your pilot stalls and your champion loses internal capital.
5) Workforce Tools
Rostering, locums, and ops automation to reduce agency spend and burnout.
Examples: Patchwork Health, Lantum, Allocate Software (RLDatix), Locum’s Nest, Rotageek, Medibuddy, HealthRota, QGenda (UK), Rotify, 360 Scheduling, TeamNet, Cliniko (UK), Staffology, Innova Solutions, ShiftWise, Klara, HotSchedules, When I Work, Deputy, Sling, Planday, TimeForge, QTime, Workforce Insight.
Why it matters: Workforce savings and capacity smoothing have clear £ outcomes and frequently unlock faster business cases than purely clinical tech.
6) Ecosystem Enablers
Gateways that shorten cycles: funding, validation, and procurement scaffolding.
Examples: NHS Innovation Accelerator, DigitalHealth.London, NHS England Innovation Service, NHS Digital, techUK Health, SBRI Healthcare, MedCity London, Life Sciences Hub Wales, Health Innovation Network, Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), Innovate UK, Health Foundry, Barclays Life Sciences programmes, Pathfinder HealthTech, MedTech Innovator UK, Bethnal Green Ventures, Seedcamp (health), Founders Factory Health, Oxford Health Innovation Hub, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, DigitalHealth.World, HealthTech Channel, Future Health, HLTH Europe, HealthTech Conferences UK, Cognicity Health.
Why it matters: The right route (AHSN, SBRI, DH.London) compresses timeline to pilots and provides procurement-ready evidence.
Systems & frameworks to win NHS procurement (and avoid dead ends)
A) NHS Readiness System (NRS)
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Clinical Safety & Privacy: DSPT, DCB0129/0160, DPIA, ISO plans.
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Regulatory & App Assessment: UKCA/CE path, ORCHA target rating.
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Interoperability Proof: FHIR R4 resources, ITK compliance, sandbox + docs.
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Evidence Engine: multi-site RWE plan, endpoints that map to NICE value.
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Partner Fit: AHSN region + “digitally mature” trusts; align to service pressures.
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ROI Decking: cost-to-serve, time saved, avoided attendances, payback.
B) Interop Playbook (IP-4)
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Model: Define core resources (Patient, Encounter, Observation, Appointment).
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Connect: At least two live EHR/LIMS/PAS connectors (EMIS, TPP, Cerner/Oracle, System C, InterSystems).
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Document: Public API docs + test credentials + data protection notes.
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Demonstrate: A 10-minute live demo of end-to-end data flow.
C) Evidence Acceleration Framework (EAF)
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Design: Pre/post endpoints tied to ICB/Trust outcomes (no-shows, readmissions).
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Sites: 2–3 pilot sites through AHSNs or NIA alumni networks.
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Publish: RWE brief + exec summary for decision boards.
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Translate: Convert results into a 3-slide ROI pack for boards.
D) Partner Fit Matrix (PFM)
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Score trusts on digital maturity, pathway fit, backlog pressure, leadership appetite; prioritize top-3 for pilots to avoid scattershot outreach.
NHS Procurement Readiness Score
Check your startup’s NHS adoption readiness across compliance, interoperability, evidence, and runway—then get a tailored action plan.
Tailored checklist
Your next move (and the missing link)
Most teams have product–market fit. What they lack is procurement–system fit.
GrowthVybz ties your regulatory, evidence, interop, and ROI into a single commercialization rhythm that turns pilots into purchases.
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Quick win: Embed our NHS Readiness Score tool and get a 90-day commercialization plan.
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Strategic win: Run the NRS + IP-4 + EAF stack with us and hit board-ready ROI in one quarter.
👉 Hire GrowthVybz as your commercialization partner: procurement playbooks, pilot design, trust targeting, ROI decks, and exec-level narratives that get approved.
