Smith & Nephew Regulatory News (SN.)

Smith & Nephew to pilot digital wound care solution, supporting Life Sciences Sector Deal

6 December 2017

Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, welcomes the Life Sciences Sector Deal released today and announces an innovative wound care programme to support implementation.

Olivier Bohuon, Chief Executive Officer of Smith & Nephew, said:

"The UK has a unique and world-class healthcare system with significant potential to utilise medical technology in new ways to improve clinical outcomes and efficiency. Through the closer collaboration between healthcare providers and suppliers envisaged by the Sector Deal, we can deliver benefits to the NHS that can then be implemented in other health systems."

Smith & Nephew is developing new programmes that utilise digital technology alongside its pioneering surgical and wound management products with the aim to improve the patient experience whilst delivering better outcomes at lower cost.

In wound care, Smith & Nephew is to pilot a new solution addressing the cost of wound care for community nursing. This is estimated to account for 66% of district nurse time, costing each of the more than 200 Clinical Commissioning Groups ('CCGs') an average of £50 million per annum by 20201. Working with partner Inhealthcare, a leading provider of digital health technology, this includes a new digital tool to support frontline community and practice nurses with point-of-care decision-making support, to standardise best practice.

Over a three-year period, this programme is expected to:

· Drive significant improvements in patient outcomes, resulting in shorter treatment duration and more wounds healed

· Release significant nurse resources, allowing them to cope with growing patient numbers in the community, estimated at nine full time nurses per CCG, and reduce the total costs of wound care per CCG

· Provide proof of principle that allows the approach to be exported to international health systems.

These improvements will be driven by earlier and more systematic intervention designed to reduce unnecessary dressing changes, avoidable infections and unacceptable delays in healing.

Smith & Nephew is a global leader in advanced wound management working to help our customers get closer to zero surgical site complications, pressure ulcer incidence, delay in wound healing, diabetic foot amputations, and waste of healthcare resources. Our portfolio includes exudate and infection management, negative pressure wound therapy, and bioactive products. In 2017 we opened a new R&D centre in Hull and announced a long-term partnership with the University of Hull to create one of the world's largest Wound Care Research Clusters.

References:

1. The health economic burden that acute and chronic wounds impose on an average clinical commissioning group/ health board in the UK. J.F. Guest PhD, Director of Catalyst, Visiting Professor of Health Economics; K. Vowden MSc, RN, Nurse Consultant; P. Vowden, MD, FRCS, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Professor of Wound Healing Research. Journal of Wound Care 26/6 June 17.

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About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has around 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2016 were almost $4.7 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE 100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN).

For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com. For more information on our approach to wound management please visit www.closertozero.com

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