// DIAGNOSTIC · 20 QUESTIONS · 10 MINUTES

NHS software and AI readiness. Deployable, and sellable?

Two questions decide whether a software or AI product gets into the NHS: are you legally deployable, and are you commercially viable. Answer twenty below for one product and one target buyer. You get an honest level on a five-stage maturity model, a read on each axis, and the single gate to clear next.

20 questions · about 10 minutes · instant result · no email · nothing leaves your browser

0 of 20 answered
Answer all twenty questions for an accurate result.

// A diagnostic, not regulatory or legal advice. Scoring runs entirely in your browser.

// Take it with you

Whitepaper and Claude prompt

Two artefacts to run this without the browser. The whitepaper explains the twenty markers, the four mandatory gates and the level bands in depth. The Claude prompt runs the diagnostic conversationally against your specific pitch and drafts the board-ready read.

FAQs

What is the NHS Readiness Diagnostic?

A ten-minute self-assessment for software and AI vendors selling into the NHS. It scores twenty markers across two axes, legally deployable and commercially viable, and places the product on a five-level maturity model. The output is a level, a read on each axis, and the single gate to clear next. Free, browser-based, no email captured.

Who is the diagnostic for?

Growth-stage software and AI companies selling into the NHS in England. Typical users: founders and commercial leads scoping a first NHS pipeline, CEOs preparing a board pack, PE operating partners running a portfolio read. It assumes a validated product and one target buyer inside the NHS. Answer for one product and one buyer at a time.

How long does it take to run?

About ten minutes if you know your product. Twenty markers, one answer each (a, b or c). No email, no signup, no data leaves the browser. Answer honestly for one product and one target buyer, not the aggregate.

Do I need to give an email address?

No. Nothing is captured. The diagnostic runs entirely in your browser. There is no signup, no lead form, and no gated result. The level, axis reads and gate recommendation appear on screen when you submit.

What does the diagnostic score?

Twenty markers split across two axes. Axis A (seven markers, legally deployable) covers the assurance stack the NHS will not waive: medical device status, clinical safety DCB0129, DSPT, data protection, cyber essentials, DTAC pack, interoperability. Axis B (thirteen markers, commercially viable) covers criticality, evidence, business case, route to market and scale. Five of the Axis A markers are mandatory gates. A single open gate caps the verdict at Level 1.

What are the mandatory gates the NHS will not waive?

Five. Medical device status if the product has a medical purpose (MHRA registration and UKCA or CE marking). Clinical safety under DCB0129 with a named Clinical Safety Officer. DSPT at Standards Met. Data protection with a clean DPIA and controller-versus-processor status settled (especially around model training on identifiable patient data). DTAC pack on the current form with the underlying artefacts. Any one open caps the verdict at Level 1, whatever the commercial side looks like.

Is this regulatory or legal advice?

No. The diagnostic is a commercial field guide from an operator perspective. Andrew Wyatt runs Ortent Advisory and is not a lawyer, clinician or regulator. For binding advice on medical device classification, DSPT, DTAC or NHS procurement law, use a qualified adviser. The tool tells you where to look and which gate blocks the pipeline.

What do I do with the result?

Two things. First, fix the single gate in front of you before spending on marketing or sales. Second, run the diagnostic with your clinical lead, commercial lead and finance lead independently. The markers where their score is lower than yours is where your view of the state and the state itself have diverged. That is the interesting gap.

// GET IN TOUCH

Clarity when it counts.

For a working call on the gate in front of you, or a board-ready read on where a portfolio company sits, email directly. Thirty minutes is usually enough to test fit.

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