Morning, Monday, 30th November 2026
Online
This conference will consider next steps for NICE as its role continues to evolve in response to the 10 Year Health Plan and the changing needs of England’s health and care system.
Evaluation, evidence & access
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess how NICE’s long-term approach to guidance, evidence standards, and decision-making may need to adapt in the context of wider priorities for prevention, earlier intervention, digitally-enabled care, and faster and more equitable access closer to home. Attendees will also discuss how guidance can remain practical and implementable in real-world health and care settings while maintaining robust evidence standards.
Implications of the increased cost-effectiveness threshold to £25,000-£35,000 per QALY gained for NICE evaluation methods, NHS funding decisions, and adoption of new technologies and treatments will be examined, as well as the potential impact on aims for prevention and population health. Delegates will also discuss the future direction of NICE's value assessment methods, considering their alignment going forward with changing NHS priorities and emerging models of care.
Accelerating innovation, market access & streamlining regulation
Sessions will examine the early implementation of the new MHRA-NICE Accelerated Aligned Pathway and its aims to enable patient access to medicines 3-6 months sooner through closer alignment between licensing and value assessment. Priorities and practicalities will be considered for enabling timely access to effective treatments, technologies and diagnostics - including the way forward for Integrated Scientific Advice - while ensuring that patient and NHS benefits are realised. Discussion will also explore opportunities for effective uptake of off-patent medicines where these offer clinical and system benefits.
NICE’s role in supporting wider UK life sciences competitiveness will also be explored, including in fostering a predictable environment for investment, R&I, and commercialisation - while maintaining accountability and confidence in robust and transparent decision-making.
Expanding health technology assessment
Looking into NICE’s expanded technology appraisal process, attendees will consider priorities for widening equitable access to high-impact digital tools, diagnostics and medical devices to help mitigate pressure from the NHS’s most pressing challenges. This includes how evaluation, commissioning and procurement processes can be better aligned to support more consistent and timely adoption.
We also expect discussion on international approaches to incorporating wider societal impacts within healthtech assessment methodologies, and what they may mean for approaches in England.
Modernisation, operational readiness & health equity
Further discussion will assess how to manage safe disinvestment from less effective or outdated interventions without disrupting care, and strategy for maximising the value and outcomes of technologies and innovation already in use. Areas for discussion include how local systems can build the capability and readiness needed to operationalise NICE recommendations consistently across the NHS.
Development of Modern Service Frameworks and how they can be integrated with existing NICE guidance will be discussed. Looking at considerations for alignment with 10 Year Health Plan aims for increasing care delivery in community settings, there will be a focus on improving integration across primary, community and specialist care pathways, and shifting toward a more digitally-enabled and preventative model - as well as lessons from National Service Frameworks.
Ways forward for tackling health inequalities will also be considered, including progress and next steps for collaboration between NICE and the NHS Race and Health Observatory, examining the recent modular update to health technology evaluation methods, and what is further needed to address potential bias in new and existing clinical guidelines.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; UK Health Security Agency; and Department of Health, ROI.
