Medical Equipment: Innovation

(asked on 3rd March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further the publication by NICE of NICE healthy technology evaluations: the manual on 22 January, how they plan to fast-track any “true innovation” which is supported by (a) NICE MedTech Innovation Briefing, or (b) other “sufficient” evidence, into the relevant NHS Supply Chain Framework agreement.


Answered by
Lord Kamall Portrait
Lord Kamall
This question was answered on 25th April 2022

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has no current plans to fast-track any ‘true innovation’ supported by MedTech Innovation Briefings (MIBs) or other ‘sufficient’ evidence. NICE’s MIBs are designed to support the National Health Service, social care commissioners and staff considering using new medical devices and other medical or diagnostic technologies. MIBs aim to be fast, flexible and responsive to the need for information on innovative technologies, which do not make recommendations or constitute NICE guidance and follow a much shorter development process.

In addition, technologies where NICE has issued a MIB are not automatically adopted into the NHS Supply Chain. It is for the relevant commissioner to make decisions on usage, taking into account the available evidence. Should production capacity be unable to meet MIBs’ demand in a given period, prioritisation of the commissioning schedule will be made based on the importance of the topics to the NHS and in discussion with NHS England where necessary.

The MedTech Funding Mandate was introduced in April 2021 to support an accelerated uptake of clinically effective and cost-saving medical devices, diagnostics and digital technologies recommended through NICE’s medical technologies or diagnostics guidance. NHS Supply Chain was the agreed route for the first four products selected by NHS England and NHS Improvement to be funded in 2021/22.

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