NICE’s prioritisation process explained – what healthtech developers need to know

The healthtech sector is transforming healthcare at an unprecedented rate. From AI-powered diagnostics to revolutionary remote monitoring solutions, new innovations are reaching the market daily, each promising to enhance patient care and streamline clinical workflows. As the health and care system faces growing pressures from an ageing population and increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, the need for innovative solutions that address these evolving system needs and optimise workforce efficiencies has never been greater.

NICE plays a crucial role in this landscape. Through robust evaluation and guidance development, NICE helps NHS practitioners and commissioners identify which technologies will deliver the greatest benefits for patients while offering the best value for the health service.

Your route to NICE consideration

The NHS Innovation Service is your gateway to having your product considered for NICE guidance development. While not every technology will be selected for evaluation, this platform plays a crucial role in enabling NICE to identify suitable healthtech products for prioritised topic areas. Innovators are unable to directly refer their product for a NICE appraisal. The NHS Innovation Service is your go-to route.

In his recent blog post, 5 tips to help get your healthtech product to market, fast, associate director of NICE Advice Andrew Walsh lists registering your product with the NHS Innovation Service as one of his key points.

But while registration is an essential first step, we recognise that for healthtech developers, the route to NHS adoption can be complex, requiring careful planning and preparation. Our fee-based advisory service, NICE Advice, can help optimise your development journey. All our services are confidential and provided independently of NICE's guidance producing programmes. This ensures there are no conflicts of interest. Whether you're a start-up or multinational, we can provide expert guidance at any stage of your journey.

Understanding NICE’s guidance pathway

According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, there are approximately 2 million healthtech products registered for use on the UK market. With such an overwhelming number of innovations available, NHS decision-makers need clear direction on which technologies will best address their most pressing challenges.

NICE’s forward view responds to this need by highlighting priority areas for guidance development – helping both NHS organisations identify the most suitable technologies and enabling healthtech developers to align their innovations with system needs.

Priority areas for 2024/25

If you're developing a healthtech product, understanding NICE's priorities is crucial. For 2024/25, NICE is focussing on innovations addressing:

• mental health

• early cancer detection/diagnosis

• diabetes

• musculoskeletal conditions

• women's health

• respiratory conditions

• neurology.

These priorities reflect the most pressing needs within the health and care system. NICE's prioritisation board will publish updated priorities for 2025/26 in June 2025. Keep an eye on our website for details or sign up to our newsletter, NICE News for Life Sciences, to stay informed. You’ll also find further information on the prioritising our guidance topics page of our website.

Whether or not your product aligns with current priorities, early engagement through NICE Advice can help position your innovation for success. Whatever stage you're at, we’ll aim to tailor our support to your needs.

Let's start a conversation

Ready to take the next step on your market access journey? Get in touch with NICE Advice today. Getting started could not be easier. Simply complete our enquiry form giving an overview of your product and the support you're seeking. We'll get in touch to discuss your specific market access challenges and explore how we can help.