Mantra Systems is proud to share that we are now an official Programme Partner of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (NHS CEP), a nationally recognised initiative supporting healthcare workers and patients to develop, scale, and deliver innovative solutions for the NHS.
Becoming a Programme Partner marks an important milestone in our mission to support safe and effective innovations that benefit patients and the NHS.
This partnership enables us to contribute directly to medical innovation led from the front line by providing specialised guidance on medical device regulations, clinical evidence generation, and pathways for bringing medical devices to market. It also reflects a full‑circle moment for our team. Our connection to the Programme began long before today with Paul Hercock, Our CEO, whose early experience as a Clinical Entrepreneur helped shape the foundations of the company we are today.
Our journey with the NHS CEP
When it comes down to it, an entire career can be defined by just a handful of days. In my case, it came down to a wet Tuesday morning in February 2017. I emerged from Elephant & Castle tube station and cursed my choice of shoes as they dark-spotted around blobs of rain and splashes of puddle water. Not the look I was going for.
I was on my way to meet Professor Tony Young, head of NHS Innovation and founder of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme. As a clinician working on my own medical device innovation, I’d been advised that the NHS CEP would be an ideal way to make the most of my fledgling idea.
Somehow balancing his work at NHS Innovation with multiple other commitments and an active clinical career as a Professor of Urology, Tony was nonetheless extremely generous with his time. He patiently listened to my ideas while outlining the benefits that the NHS CEP would bring, including a personal mentor, educational sessions on business strategy, personal growth, finance, fundraising and more, along with direct access to funders and an entire network of other healthcare professionals crazy enough to be working on innovations of their own. I was hooked from day 1.
I applied to the scheme and – 1-minute video pitch and detailed interview later – was invited to join the Programme in Cohort 2. The first “Pit Stop” session was held a few weeks later and I remember nervously approaching the venue, wondering how far out of my depth I would be. The Friday night was a series of talks from inspirational entrepreneurs that were completely different to those you’d see at a ‘sanitised’ event – these were warts, scars and all, meaning they were highly relatable and made me realise that no one ‘makes it’ without getting knocked back multiple times. The Saturday explored personality types and Belbin team roles, making me think about team composition in a way I’d never even imagined.
Then followed a blur of similar events, each offering value completely out of proportion to my expectations. I demolished the ‘recommended reading’ list and attended every event I could, including those during the week, becoming intimately acquainted with the LNER route from Doncaster to London. It was so clear to me that the more I put in, the more the returns compounded. In short, it exploded my growth as an entrepreneur.
Founding a regulatory affairs consultancy
The greatest insight? My idea wasn’t going to work. This might sound like a negative, but it wasn’t. Without the Programme, it’s likely I would have spent years chasing a lost dream. Instead, I’d learned enough to understand that I needed to be honest with myself. I needed to refocus and pivot into a new venture – this time, one that was built around solid business principles and a proper analysis of need.
What became Mantra Systems found its origins in the NHS CEP. I wasn’t born an entrepreneur. Yet, Mantra Systems now serves a client base on 5 continents and is growing from strength to strength. It doesn’t happen by magic. It happens by making the most of amazing opportunities when they come along and through applying proper advice and learned principles.
Through the challenges of developing my own medical device and realising how difficult it was to understand and navigate regulatory requirements, I recognised a clear gap in the industry. That experience became the foundation for Mantra Systems. Drawing on my background as a clinician, I set out to build a consultancy that could support medical device innovators through the EU MDR and IVDR, helping them navigate the regulations and bring safe, effective devices to market.
If I hadn’t joined the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, none of what’s followed would have happened. I’d remain a ‘dreampreneur’, wondering why none of my ideas turned into reality. As it happens, I’m now proud to be a Mentor on the NHS CEP and to bring my own experience and perspectives to events aimed at supporting current cohorts of NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs.
I’m even more proud that Mantra Systems is now an official partner to the NHS CEP, closing the circle on a journey that’s been utterly transformative for me. I’m proud that we’ve come so far but mostly grateful – grateful that I made the journey to London that day, grateful that my wet shoes didn’t spoil the meeting, and grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn so much from others who so generously share their time and expertise through the Programme.
I’ve been privileged to benefit from all that the NHS CEP brings and look forward to the next chapter as an official partner, working to support a new wave of medical device innovators to bring their ideas to market and solve real healthcare challenges for the benefit of the many. If you’re embarking on your own innovation journey and need support navigating the regulatory landscape, contact us today.
Read the full announcment on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme website.
