NICE has released a strategy and future vision document for the period 2021 to 2026 which is designed to ensure the organisation remains excellent, more dynamic and more collaborative in their work. The route map builds on the solid foundations of the last 22 years of NICE’s work. The plan puts science and evidence at the heart of health and care decision making, while keeping ahead of the challenges of a rapidly changing world.  External stakeholders including key opinion leaders, patient groups and partner organisations in healthcare and care were consulted as part of the document’s elaboration.

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for accelerating access to new and effective treatments, practices and technologies. Real-world data must be integrated into evaluation processes in order to improve decision-making. Four key pillars have been set out within the route map:

1. A focus on robust, responsive treatment evaluation.
2. Dynamic, living guideline recommendations.
3. Effective guidance uptake to maximise NICE’s impact.
4. Leadership in real-world data, innovative research and science.

As part of Pillar 1, the Office for Digital Health will be launched. Further actions to achieve these goals include pushing for improved integrated care systems, reducing health inequalities, innovative regulation, access and reimbursement models. Further focus on diagnostic innovation is mentioned, as NICE seeks to extend technological innovation past only traditional drugs and medical devices. NICE guidance is to be embedded in partners’ regulation monitoring and improvement frameworks. Regarding Pillar 4, there will be a new ‘NICE listens’ programme established. An approach will be also developed for environmental impacts.

NICE aims to build in speed, agility, and flexibility to create a quicker, more responsive approach to evaluate all health technologies including diagnostics, medtech, digital and genomic technologies, and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) as well as ‘hybrid’ products. It is working towards increasing the proportion of technology assessments for diagnostic, medtech and ‘hybrid’ products.

A key part of the strategy is to be agile, flexible and dynamic so that the organisation can anticipate and meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing landscape. Internally, the strategy will be underpinned by a significant change programme that will enable NICE to concentrate the right resources and focus to deliver our ambitions at pace, while still maintaining our ongoing obligations. The roadmap will bring about changes to the operation of NICE, without altering their core purposes.

The full 5-year plan can be found here.