Cambridge Heartwear wins place on NHS cardiac framework for its AI ECG wearable

Cambridge Heartwear said on 6 October 2026 that it had secured a £184 million tender with NHS Supply Chain for HeartSense, its AI-enabled ECG wearable, giving integrated care boards a route to buy the device at scale ¹. NHS Supply Chain's own listing shows the company as one of 25 suppliers on a new national framework for cardiac and pulmonary diagnostics ².

What the award covers

HeartSense is a portable, multi-channel ECG monitor that charges wirelessly and sends readings to a mobile phone, with what the company calls adaptive artificial intelligence built in ¹. Cambridge Heartwear, a University of Cambridge spin-out based at Cambridge Science Park, says the device is designed and manufactured in Britain, is UKCA approved and ISO 13845 certified, and is backed by 86 patents ¹. FDA 510(k) applications are still in progress ¹.

The company says the agreement allows deployment across primary and secondary care and civil service departments, with the aim of moving heart rhythm monitoring out of hospital and into community settings and patients' homes ¹. Founder Professor Rameen Shakur said: "We did not have a UK ECG manufacturer and reporter until now." ¹

The framework behind the award, Cardiac and Pulmonary Diagnostics and Exercise (Stress) Testing Solutions, started on 27 July 2026 and runs for 24 months to 26 July 2028, with an option to extend for a further 24 months ². It replaces the previous cardiac diagnostics equipment framework and has three lots, including one for ambulatory monitoring, wearable recorder devices and related services ². Of the 25 suppliers, 8 are new; others listed include GE Medical Systems, Philips Electronics UK, iRhythm Technologies, Cortrium and LifeSignals Europe ². Twenty suppliers were delisted at the start, among them Alivecor and Aktiia ².

What it means for the market

For ICBs and trusts, the practical change is procurement access rather than a guaranteed rollout. The framework is a direct agreement: buyers get a quotation from the category team or the supplier, have it validated by NHS Supply Chain's ECG team and quote a reference number on the order ². It supports mini competitions for further savings, along with volume banding, commitment deals and multi-trust aggregation ². Suppliers had to meet requirements on carbon reduction, modern slavery and social value, and NHS Supply Chain asked for Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation ².

That structure matters when reading the headline number. The £184 million figure comes from Cambridge Heartwear's announcement, and the NHS Supply Chain page does not attribute a value to any single supplier ¹². HeartSense will compete for orders against established remote monitoring vendors on the same lot, so its revenue depends on how many ICBs choose it in direct awards or mini competitions.

For suppliers left off, the delisting closes this national route until the framework is renewed or extended. NHS Supply Chain lists remote diagnostic and interpretation services and home-based monitoring pathways among the uses it expects the framework to support ².

Caveats

The device's clinical claims, including earlier detection of stroke and heart failure risk, come from the company and are not backed by published trial data in either source ¹². Neither source names an ICB that has placed an order. The framework's first term ends on 26 July 2028 ².