Entrepreneurs need help to overcome barriers in healthcare sector

The developing agenda of entrepreneurs within the healthcare system is being hindered by the reluctance of the medical sector to cooperate, according to a new report.

The report was launched by the NHS Alliance, the independent body representing primary care, to look at the ‘exciting opportunities’ entrepreneurs are creating, and what issues need to be overcome.

The report found that GP-owned businesses continue to ‘exercise a virtual monopoly’ over healthcare provision. It also suggested that the caution shown by many primary care trusts regarding the commercial sector may stem from the values of senior managers and boards. “Improving cost-effectiveness, extending choice and redesigning services will require a new breed of entrepreneurs in primary care - clinicians and managers who can think, act and provide in bold and original ways,” said Dr Michael Dixon GP, chair of the NHS Alliance. “

The words ‘public service’ and ‘entrepreneur’ may seem odd bedfellows, particularly within the traditional management arrangements of the NHS. Indeed, change and challenge are not necessarily good in themselves. “Yet they are more likely than not to bring about improvement where services are currently poor or there has been a historical monopoly.”  

The report recommended that an ‘unblocking’ system be put in place to support entrepreneurs who can prove they are being obstructed in their efforts to develop ideas within the healthcare sector.