The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has expressed its approval of the newly introduced rules-based pathway for medical technologies as part of the UK government’s NHS 10-Year Health Plan, released on July 3, 2025.

Key Highlights of the New Approach:

• The initiative aims to ensure that high-impact devices, diagnostics, and digital tools recommended by NICE are reimbursed nationally, similar to medicines.
• Life-changing technologies will receive the same funding guarantees as pharmaceuticals, facilitating quicker and fairer patient access.
• Sam Roberts, CEO of NICE, emphasized that this is the minimum expectation for a digitized health service.
• The plan aims to eliminate the “postcode lottery” in access to essential technologies, ensuring equitable availability across the UK.
• Enhanced support for adoption and reimbursement will address long-standing disparities in access to medical technologies.

Impact on Patient Care:

Roberts stated, “To provide the best possible care, there must be a clear funding route for technologies recommended by NICE, whether they are medicines, devices, or digital tools.” He noted that previously, this principle applied only to medicines.

The new pathway will expand NICE’s technology appraisal process to include selected high-impact medical technologies, ensuring that patients can access clinically and cost-effective innovations regardless of their location.

Government Support and Future Directions:

The government’s Industrial Strategy, published on June 23, 2025, reinforces this direction by providing MedTech developers with access to the NHS through a structured pathway and the creation of an NHS innovator passport.

Following NICE’s recommendation in December 2023 for hybrid closed-loop systems, known as artificial pancreas technology, uptake among eligible patients increased significantly, demonstrating the potential for rapid implementation of new technologies.

Collaboration for Effective Implementation:

NICE plans to collaborate closely with NHS England to support the effective and affordable adoption of new technologies. With NHS waiting lists at record highs, coordinated national adoption is crucial for maximizing the value of existing health technologies and improving patient outcomes.