NICE - the NHS's medicines and health
technology watchdog - welcomes the inclusion of a Rules-Based
Pathway for medical technologies in the Government's upcoming
10-Year Plan. The new approach will ensure that high-impact
devices, diagnostics and digital tools recommended by NICE that
meet the most urgent needs are nationally reimbursed and made
available across the NHS - just like
medicines.
We have long advocated for the
expansion of our medicines evaluation programme to cover devices,
diagnostics and digital products so we are delighted this has
been included in the 10-Year health plan. It means these select
life-changing technologies will now attract the same funding
guarantees as medicines so patients will be able to access them
faster and more fairly than ever
before.
The new Rules-Based Pathway will
extend NICE's technology appraisal process - which currently
applies to medicines - to include selected high-impact medical
technologies such as devices, diagnostics and digital tools that
meet the NHS's most urgent needs. This new approach will come
with associated reimbursement and enhanced support for adoption,
helping to address longstanding variation in
access.
While not all technologies will be
covered, those assessed through the expanded process will benefit
from faster evidence generation, commercial support, and
structured NHS rollout - helping ensure patients get access to
clinically and cost-effective innovations, wherever they
live.
Sam Roberts, Chief Executive of NICE,
said: “This is the minimum a patient should expect from a
digitised health service - and we're pleased to see it included
in the 10-Year Plan.
“To give patients across the UK the
best possible care, there must be a clear route to funding when
NICE recommends a technology - whether it's a medicine, device or
digital tool. Until now, that principle has only applied to
medicines.
“The 10-Year Plan's commitment means
access to life-changing technologies that address the most urgent
needs will no longer be a case of a postcode lottery. Patients
will get access wherever they live, the NHS will get better value
by buying at scale, and we can stop relying on outdated tools
that lead to poorer outcomes.”
The government's Industrial Strategy,
published earlier this month, also signals support for this
direction, confirming that industry will be given access to the
NHS through a rules-based pathway for MedTech and the creation of
an NHS Innovator Passport - helping to align evaluation, adoption
and scaling of new technologies in a more coordinated
way.
The impact of this model is already
evident. Following NICE's December 2023 recommendation of hybrid
closed loop systems - commonly known as “artificial pancreas”
technology - for children and young people with type 1 diabetes,
uptake jumped from just over a third to nearly two-thirds of
eligible patients within a year. This was made possible by a
centrally funded, five-year implementation plan agreed with NHS
England.
NICE will work closely with NHS
England to support implementation and provide advice to help
providers adopt new technologies effectively and
affordably.
With NHS waiting lists at all-time
highs and services under mounting financial pressure, NICE says
nationally coordinated adoption is vital to ensure value for
money, reduce unwarranted variation, and make the most of
cutting-edge health technologies already transforming
care.
ENDS
Read about the innovative hybrid
closed loop (HCL) systems which can transform daily life for
children and families managing type 1 diabetes here.
