NICE expands HealthTech evaluations to fast-track innovation across the NHS
As reported by UK Healthcare News, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is overhauling how new technologies are approved for NHS use – a move set to give medical devices, diagnostics and digital health tools the same status as medicines in the evaluation process.
Under the expanded HealthTech evaluation programme, innovations such as AI-powered diagnostics, wearable diabetes monitors and digital monitoring apps will be assessed using the same rigorous standards applied to new drugs. NICE said the change will help tackle regional inequalities in technology adoption and ensure faster, fairer access for patients across England.
General Practice Managers and other healthcare leaders are expected to play a key role in integrating these technologies into frontline care, guided by NICE’s new recommendations on clinical value and cost-effectiveness.
Initially, the focus will be on high-impact technologies, with plans to widen the scope in future. NICE is currently consulting with clinicians, industry and healthcare partners to refine the updated evaluation framework, open until 22 October 2025.
The initiative supports the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan and the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, positioning the NHS as a key driver of the UK’s growing healthtech sector. NICE said the new system marks a step towards a “future-ready NHS” where innovation reaches patients swiftly, wherever they live.
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